Developmental associations of fundamental motor skills and executive functions in preschoolers - The role of the physical activity and the effects on early numeracy.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity, fundamental motor skills, executive functions and early numeracy have shown to be related, but very little is known about the developmental relations of these factors. PROCEDURE: We followed 317 children (3-6 years) over two years. Fundamental motor skills and executive functions (inhibition+switching, updating) were measured at all time points (T1, T2, T3) and physical activity at T1 and early numeracy at T3. MAIN FINDINGS: Children with better fundamental motor skills at T1 developed slower in inhibition and switching. Fundamental motor skills developed faster in children who had better initial inhibition and switching ability. Vigorous physical activity at T1 was associated with a weaker initial inhibition and switching. The initial level and the developmental rate of updating were related to better early numeracy skills. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that fundamental motor skills and executive functions are developmentally related, and updating is an important predictor for early numeracy in preschoolers.

Investigating mechanisms of sport-related cognitive improvement using measures of motor learning.

An increasing number of studies have linked engagement in sport or increased physical fitness with improved cognitive performance. Additionally, studies have employed physical activity as an intervention to help with cognition in aging individuals. Despite this, the underlying mechanism (or mechanisms) by which benefits occur remain unclear. We investigated whether improved trainability for individuals engaged in sport or fitness training might underlie such benefits. Specifically, we assessed motor skill performance and learning rates in young adult runners, baseball players, and "control" individuals who did not regularly engage in sport or exercise using an implicit motor sequence learning task. Better initial performance on the task was seen for both the runner group and the baseball group but no benefits were seen for the baseball/runner groups for rates of improvement on the task. This was the case for both non-specific learning (or general motor skill learning-learning not associated with specific sequences of responses) and for sequence-specific learning (or improvement on repeated sequences of responses that participants were not aware of). This pattern may mean that either engagement in sport/physical activity results in improvements that are transferable beyond the context of the sport/training activity or that engagement in sport/exercise may relate to initial differences in the motor competence of an individual. Further work could beneficially investigate learning in more directly cognitive-related tasks and consolidation/improvement of performance over more prolonged time periods. Importantly, assessment of a fitness/sport intervention on performance and learning rates may provide a better context for some of the benefits reported in cross-sectional investigations of the effects of sport/fitness on cognition and aid in determining which differences are due to engaging in exercise and which differences affect the tendency for such engagement.

Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder - An intervention protocol.

BACKGROUND: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) often (<87 %) experience postural control problems, impacting all levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) including their daily participation, self-esteem and mental health. Due to the multisystemic nature of postural control, comprehensive therapy should target all systems which is currently not the case. Highly intensive therapy is effective and commonly used in pediatric populations, but has not been explored yet to train postural control in children with DCD. AIMS: To investigate the effects of a highly intensive functional balance therapy camp at all ICF levels in children with DCD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The effects on postural control, muscle activity, brain alterations, self-perceived competence, self-identified goals, gross motor activities and participation are evaluated. Participants are assessed pre- and post-intervention, including a 3 months follow-up. Forty-eight children with DCD, aged 6-12 years old, receive 40 h of comprehensive balance training. This intervention is fun, individually tailored, targets all postural control systems, implements different motor learning strategies and includes both individual and group activities. CONCLUSION: Novel insights into the effects of a highly intensive comprehensive balance therapy camp designed for children with DCD will be gained at all levels of the ICF.

Neural correlates of fine motor grasping skills: Longitudinal insights into motor cortex activation using fNIRS.

BACKGROUND: Motor learning is essential for performing specific tasks and progresses through distinct stages, including the rapid learning phase (initial skill acquisition), the consolidation phase (skill refinement), and the stable performance phase (skill mastery and maintenance). Understanding the cortical activation dynamics during these stages can guide targeted rehabilitation interventions. METHODS: In this longitudinal randomized controlled trial, functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to explore the temporal dynamics of cortical activation in hand-related motor learning. Thirty-one healthy right-handed individuals were randomly assigned to perform either easy or intricate motor tasks with their non-dominant hand over 10 days. We conducted 10 monitoring sessions to track cortical activation in the right hemisphere (according to lateralization principles, the primary hemisphere for motor control) and evaluated motor proficiency concurrently. RESULTS: The study delineated three stages of nondominant hand motor learning: rapid learning (days 1 and 2), consolidation (days 3-7), and stable performance (days 8-10). There was a power-law enhancement of motor skills correlated with learning progression. Sustained activation was observed in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and parietal lobe (PL), whereas activation in the right primary motor cortex (M1R) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFCR) decreased. These cortical activation patterns exhibited a high correlation with the augmentation of motor proficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that early rehabilitation interventions, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), could be optimally directed at M1 and PFC in the initial stages. In contrast, SMA and PL can be targeted throughout the motor learning process. This research illuminates the path for developing tailored motor rehabilitation interventions based on specific stages of motor learning. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY: In an innovative approach, our study uniquely combines a longitudinal design with the robustness of generalized estimating equations (GEEs). With the synergy of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and the Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT) paradigm, we precisely trace the evolution of neural resources during complex, real-world fine-motor task learning. Centering on right-handed participants using their nondominant hand magnifies the intricacies of right hemisphere spatial motor processing. We unravel the brain's dynamic response throughout motor learning stages and its potent link to motor skill enhancement. Significantly, our data point toward the early-phase rehabilitation potential of TMS and transcranial direct current stimulation on the M1 and PFC regions. Concurrently, SMA and PL appear poised to benefit from ongoing interventions during the entire learning curve. Our findings carve a path for refined motor rehabilitation strategies, underscoring the importance of timely noninvasive brain stimulation treatments.

Corticostriatal activity related to performance during continuous de novo motor learning.

Corticostriatal regions play a pivotal role in visuomotor learning. However, less research has been done on how fMRI activity in their subregions is related to task performance, which is provided as visual feedback during motor learning. To address this, we conducted an fMRI experiment in which participants acquired a complex de novo motor skill using continuous or binary visual feedback related to performance. We found a highly selective response related to performance in the entire striatum in both conditions and a relatively higher response in the caudate nucleus for the binary feedback condition. However, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) response was significant only for the continuous feedback condition. Furthermore, we also found functional distinction of the striatal subregions in random versus goal-directed motor control. These findings underscore the substantial effects of the visual feedback indicating performance on distinct corticostriatal responses, thereby elucidating its significance in reinforcement-based motor learning.

Comparison of online, offline, and hybrid hypotheses of motor sequence learning using a quantitative model that incorporate reactive inhibition.

Two hypotheses have been advanced for when motor sequence learning occurs: offline between bouts of practice or online concurrently with practice. A third possibility is that learning occurs both online and offline. A complication for differentiating between those hypotheses is a process known as reactive inhibition, whereby performance worsens over consecutively executed sequences, but dissipates during breaks. We advance a new quantitative modeling framework that incorporates reactive inhibition and in which the three learning accounts can be implemented. Our results show that reactive inhibition plays a far larger role in performance than is appreciated in the literature. Across four groups of participants in which break times and correct sequences per trial were varied, the best overall fits were provided by a hybrid model. The version of the offline model that does not account for reactive inhibition, which is widely assumed in the literature, had the worst fits. We discuss implications for extant hypotheses and directions for future research.

Memory consolidation of sequence learning and dynamic adaptation during wakefulness.

Motor learning involves acquiring new movement sequences and adapting motor commands to novel conditions. Labile motor memories, acquired through sequence learning and dynamic adaptation, undergo a consolidation process during wakefulness after initial training. This process stabilizes the new memories, leading to long-term memory formation. However, it remains unclear if the consolidation processes underlying sequence learning and dynamic adaptation are independent and if distinct neural regions underpin memory consolidation associated with sequence learning and dynamic adaptation. Here, we first demonstrated that the initially labile memories formed during sequence learning and dynamic adaptation were stabilized against interference through time-dependent consolidation processes occurring during wakefulness. Furthermore, we found that sequence learning memory was not disrupted when immediately followed by dynamic adaptation and vice versa, indicating distinct mechanisms for sequence learning and dynamic adaptation consolidation. Finally, by applying patterned transcranial magnetic stimulation to selectively disrupt the activity in the primary motor (M1) or sensory (S1) cortices immediately after sequence learning or dynamic adaptation, we found that sequence learning consolidation depended on M1 but not S1, while dynamic adaptation consolidation relied on S1 but not M1. For the first time in a single experimental framework, this study revealed distinct neural underpinnings for sequence learning and dynamic adaptation consolidation during wakefulness, with significant implications for motor skill enhancement and rehabilitation.

Divergent Learning-Related Transcriptional States of Cortical Glutamatergic Neurons.

Experience-dependent gene expression reshapes neural circuits, permitting the learning of knowledge and skills. Most learning involves repetitive experiences during which neurons undergo multiple stages of functional and structural plasticity. Currently, the diversity of transcriptional responses underlying dynamic plasticity during repetition-based learning is poorly understood. To close this gap, we analyzed single-nucleus transcriptomes of L2/3 glutamatergic neurons of the primary motor cortex after 3 d motor skill training or home cage control in water-restricted male mice. "Train" and "control" neurons could be discriminated with high accuracy based on expression patterns of many genes, indicating that recent experience leaves a widespread transcriptional signature across L2/3 neurons. These discriminating genes exhibited divergent modes of coregulation, differentiating neurons into discrete clusters of transcriptional states. Several states showed gene expressions associated with activity-dependent plasticity. Some of these states were also prominent in the previously published reference, suggesting that they represent both spontaneous and task-related plasticity events. Markedly, however, two states were unique to our dataset. The first state, further enriched by motor training, showed gene expression suggestive of late-stage plasticity with repeated activation, which is suitable for expected emergent neuronal ensembles that stably retain motor learning. The second state, equally found in both train and control mice, showed elevated levels of metabolic pathways and norepinephrine sensitivity, suggesting a response to common experiences specific to our experimental conditions, such as water restriction or circadian rhythm. Together, we uncovered divergent transcriptional responses across L2/3 neurons, each potentially linked with distinct features of repetition-based motor learning such as plasticity, memory, and motivation.

Embodied mental rotation ability in open- and closed-skill sports: pilot study with a new virtual paradigm.

Embodied mental rotation is the influence of the body on mental rotation ability. Sports expertise enhances embodied mental rotation ability. However, sport-skill-dependent effects remain unclear. Previous studies refer to the influence of body positions on mental rotation ability. Yet, in sports, the investigation of the effect of simultaneous body and mental rotation movements is essential. Athletes need to constantly mentally and physically adapt to environmental changes and new motor tasks while being in motion themselves. This study aimed to investigate embodied mental rotation ability with simultaneous body and mental rotation in individuals with different sport skills, i.e., in open- and closed-skill sports. Forty-eight men and women, divided into two groups depending on their sport, performed 32 trials of an extended embodied mental rotation task. Simultaneous body and mental rotation were enabled by a novel test method including Virtual Reality. Results revealed shorter response times to the task stimulus in closed-skill sports participants than in open-skill sports participants. This group difference was significant for trials in which rotation directions of the own body and the mental rotation stimulus were aligned. The results might be related to sport-specific skill development processes. Motor imitation skills, as relevant in many closed-skill sports, may facilitate cognitive processes when the motion direction of the own body and of the mental rotation stimulus are aligned. The novel test method identifies potential applications that should be increasingly explored in the future, both for cognitive science and sports research.

Early excitatory-inhibitory cortical modifications following skill learning are associated with motor memory consolidation and plasticity overnight.

Consolidation of motor memories is vital to offline enhancement of new motor skills and involves short and longer-term offline processes following learning. While emerging evidence link glutamate and GABA dynamics in the primary motor cortex (M1) to online motor skill practice, its relationship with offline consolidation processes in humans is unclear. Using two-day repeated measures of behavioral and multimodal neuroimaging data before and following motor sequence learning, we show that short-term glutamatergic and GABAergic responses in M1 within minutes after learning were associated with longer-term learning-induced functional, structural, and behavioral modifications overnight. Furthermore, Glutamatergic and GABAergic modifications were differentially associated with different facets of motor memory consolidation. Our results point to unique and distinct roles of Glutamate and GABA in motor memory consolidation processes in the human brain across timescales and mechanistic levels, tying short-term changes on the neurochemical level to overnight changes in macroscale structure, function, and behavior.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation does not affect microscale learning.

A theory has been posited that microscale learning, which involves short intervals of a few seconds during explicit motor skill learning, considerably enhances performance. This phenomenon correlates with diminished beta-band activity in the frontal and parietal regions. However, there is a lack of neurophysiological studies regarding the relationship between microscale learning and implicit motor skill learning. In the present study, we aimed to determine the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) during short rest periods on microscale learning in an implicit motor task. We investigated the effects of 20-Hz ß-tACS delivered during short rest periods while participants performed an implicit motor task. In Experiments 1 and 2, ß-tACS targeted the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right frontoparietal network, respectively. The participants performed a finger-tapping task using their nondominant left hand, and microscale learning was separately analyzed for micro-online gains (MOnGs) and micro-offline gains (MOffGs). Contrary to our expectations, ß-tACS exhibited no statistically significant effects on MOnGs or MOffGs in either Experiment 1 or Experiment 2. In addition, microscale learning during the performance of the implicit motor task was improved by MOffGs in the early learning phase and by MOnGs in the late learning phase. These results revealed that the stimulation protocol employed in this study did not affect microscale learning, indicating a novel aspect of microscale learning in implicit motor tasks. This is the first study to examine microscale learning in implicit motor tasks and may provide baseline information that will be useful in future studies.

Effects of task difficulty on performance and event-related bradycardia during preparation for action.

The slowing of heart rate prior to movement onset has been presented as a marker of task-related cognitive processing and linked with performance accuracy. Here we examined this event-related bradycardia and task performance as a function of task difficulty. Forty experienced golfers completed a series of golf putting conditions that manipulated task difficulty by varying target distance, target size, and surface contour. Performance was measured by the number of holed putts and finishing distance from the hole. Physiological activity was recorded throughout. Analyses confirmed that performance varied as a function of task difficulty, worsening with longer distances to target, smaller targets, and sloping paths to target. Task difficulty also impacted the cardiac response, including the rate of heart rate deceleration, change in heart rate, and heart rate at impact. These heart rate metrics were found to correlate with performance strongly, moderately, and weakly, respectively. In conclusion, heart rate deceleration in the moments preceding movement onset was affected by task difficulty. Features of this cardiac deceleration pattern were characteristic of successful performance. Our findings are discussed in terms of the role of cognitive and motor processes during the execution of complex motor skills.

Incidencias del tipo de nacimiento en el desarrollo infantil en la motricidad gruesa, motricidad fina y el lenguaje / Impact of birth type on infant development in gross motor, fine motor and language skills

El modo de nacimiento –parto normal frente a cesárea– podría afectar el desarrollo y a la salud futura. La comprensión de estos posibles vínculos podría servir de base para las intervenciones venideras. El objetivo es describir y correlacionar las dimensiones del desarrollo infantil en relación con la motricidad gruesa, fina y el lenguaje en función de la segmentación por el tipo de nacimiento de parto normal y parto por cesárea. La muestra incluía 300 preescolares de entre 4 y 5 años del municipio de Soledad, Colombia. El instrumento utilizado es el TEPSI. Para determinar la correlación entre el tipo de nacimiento y los ámbitos se realizó la prueba de correlación Bivariada de Pearson con p £ 0,01 usando el software SPPS V25.0. El modo de nacimiento por segmentación de cesárea tiene correlación positiva significativa entre coordinación y lenguaje (r = .401; p =.000); coordinación y motricidad (r = .577; p = .000); y entre lenguaje y motricidad (r = .484; p = .000). El modo de nacimiento por segmentación de parto natural tiene una correlación positiva significativa entre lenguaje y motricidad (r = .410; p = .000). El estudio apoya la importancia de conocer el modo de parto y su vinculación con el desarrollo psicomotor, atendiendo a las evidencias de investigaciones previas que alertan de la existencia de efectos negativos para preescolares nacidos por cesárea (AU)

The mode of birth –normal labor versus caesarean– could affect development and future health. Understanding these possible links could inform future interventions. The aim is to describe and correlate child developmental dimensions of gross and fine motor skills and language, as a function of segmentation by the birth type of normal and caesarean labor. The sample included 300 preschoolers aged 4 to 5 years in the municipality of Soledad, Colombia. The instrument used was the TEPSI. To determine the correlation between type of birth and domains, Pearson's bivariate correlation test with p 0.01 was performed using SPPS V25.0 software. This study found that caesarean has significant positive correlations between coordination and language (r = .401; p = .000); coordination and motor (r = .577; p = .000); and between language and motor (r = .484; p = .000). Natural birth segmentation has a significant positive correlation between language and motor skills (r = .410; p = .000). The study supports the importance of knowing the mode of labor and its link with psychomotor development, owing to evidence from previous research that warns about the existence of negative effects on preschoolers born by cesarean section (AU)

Behavioral and physiological fatigue-related factors influencing timing and force control learning in pianists.

Optimizing the training regimen depending on neuromuscular fatigue is crucial for the well-being of professionals intensively practicing motor skills, such as athletes and musicians, as persistent fatigue can hinder learning and cause neuromuscular injuries. However, accurate assessment of fatigue is challenging because of the dissociation between subjective perception and its impact on motor and cognitive performance. To address this issue, we investigated the interplay between fatigue and learning development in 28 pianists during three hours of auditory-motor training, dividing them into two groups subjected to different resting conditions. Changes in behavior and muscle activity during training were measured to identify potential indicators capable of detecting fatigue before subjective awareness. Our results indicate that motor learning and fatigue development are independent of resting frequency and timing. Learning indices, such as reduction in force and timing errors throughout training, did not differ between the groups. No discernible distinctions emerged in fatigue-related behavioral and physiological indicators between the groups. Regression analysis revealed that several fatigue-related indicators, such as tapping speed variability and electromyogram amplitude per unit force, could explain the learning of timing and force control. Our findings suggest the absence of a universal resting schedule for optimizing auditory-motor learning.

Exposure to an incompatible virtual surgery impacts the null space components of the muscle patterns after re-adaptation but not the task performance.

Under the synergy hypothesis, novel muscle synergies may be required for motor skill learning. We have developed a "virtual surgery" experimental paradigm that alters the mapping of muscle activations onto virtual cursor motion during an isometric reaching task using myoelectric control. By creating virtual surgeries that are "incompatible" with the original synergies, we can investigate learning new muscle synergies in controlled experimental conditions. We have previously shown that participants are able to improve their task performance after an incompatible virtual surgery, using novel muscle patterns to overcome the perturbation. In this work, we investigated whether the activation of novel muscle patterns, that are required after an incompatible virtual surgery, affects task performance or the muscle patterns after re-adaptation to the unperturbed baseline mapping. We found that experiencing an incompatible virtual surgery did not affect the task performance during the baseline mapping. However, the adaptation to the incompatible virtual surgery resulted in changes in the null space components of the muscle patterns used in the unperturbed task.

Visual stimulation by extensive visual media consumption can be beneficial for motor learning.

In this randomized controlled intervention trial, we investigated whether intense visual stimulation through television watching can enhance visual information processing and motor learning performance. 74 healthy young adults were trained in a motor skill with visual information processing demands while being accommodated in a controlled environment for five days. The experimental manipulation (n = 37) consisted of prolonged television watching (i.e., 8 h/day, + 62.5% on average) to induce intense exposure to visual stimulation. The control group (n = 37) did not consume visual media. The groups were compared by motor learning performance throughout the study as well as pre/post visual attention parameters and resting-state network connectivity in functional MRI. We found that the intervention group performed significantly better in the motor learning task (+ 8.21% (95%-CI[12.04, 4.31], t(70) = 4.23, p < 0.001) while showing an increased capacity of visual short-term memory (+ 0.254, t(58) = - 3.19, p = 0.002) and increased connectivity between visual and motor-learning associated resting-state networks. Our findings suggest that the human brain might enter a state of accentuated visuomotor integration to support the implementation of motor learning with visual information processing demands if challenged by ample input of visual stimulation. Further investigation is needed to evaluate the persistence of this effect regarding participants exposed to accustomed amounts of visual media consumption.Clinical Trials Registration: This trial was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register/Deutsches Register klinischer Studien (DRKS): DRKS00019955.

Increased cortical inhibition following brief motor memory reactivation supports reconsolidation and overnight offline learning gains.

Practicing motor skills stabilizes and strengthens motor memories by repeatedly reactivating and reconsolidating them. The conventional view, by which a repetitive practice is required for substantially improving skill performance, has been recently challenged by behavioral experiments, in which even brief reactivations of the motor memory have led to significant improvements in skill performance. However, the mechanisms which facilitate brief reactivation-induced skill improvements remain elusive. While initial memory consolidation has been repeatedly associated with increased neural excitation and disinhibition, reconsolidation has been shown to involve a poorly understood mixture of both excitatory and inhibitory alterations. Here, we followed a 3-d reactivation-reconsolidation framework to examine whether the excitatory/inhibitory mechanisms which underlie brief reactivation and repetitive practice differ. Healthy volunteers practiced a motor sequence learning task using either brief reactivation or repetitive practice and were assessed using ultrahigh field (7T) magnetic resonance spectroscopy at the primary motor cortex (M1). We found that increased inhibition (GABA concentrations) and decreased excitation/inhibition (glutamate/GABA ratios) immediately following the brief reactivation were associated with overnight offline performance gains. These gains were on par with those exhibited following repetitive practice, where no correlations with inhibitory or excitatory changes were observed. Our findings suggest that brief reactivation and repetitive practice depend on fundamentally different neural mechanisms and that early inhibition-and not excitation-is particularly important in supporting the learning gains exhibited by brief reactivation.

Anodal cerebellar t-DCS impacts skill learning and transfer on a robotic surgery training task.

The cerebellum has demonstrated a critical role during adaptation in motor learning. However, the extent to which it can contribute to the skill acquisition of complex real-world tasks remains unclear. One particularly challenging application in terms of motor activities is robotic surgery, which requires surgeons to complete complex multidimensional visuomotor tasks through a remotely operated robot. Given the need for high skill proficiency and the lack of haptic feedback, there is a pressing need for understanding and improving skill development. We investigated the effect of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation applied during the execution of a robotic surgery training task. Study participants received either real or sham stimulation while performing a needle driving task in a virtual (simulated) and a real-world (actual surgical robot) setting. We found that cerebellar stimulation significantly improved performance compared to sham stimulation at fast (more demanding) execution speeds in both virtual and real-world training settings. Furthermore, participants that received cerebellar stimulation more effectively transferred the skills they acquired during virtual training to the real world. Our findings underline the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation to enhance skill learning and transfer in real-world relevant tasks and, more broadly, its potential for improving complex motor learning.

Preserved neural dynamics across animals performing similar behaviour.

Animals of the same species exhibit similar behaviours that are advantageously adapted to their body and environment. These behaviours are shaped at the species level by selection pressures over evolutionary timescales. Yet, it remains unclear how these common behavioural adaptations emerge from the idiosyncratic neural circuitry of each individual. The overall organization of neural circuits is preserved across individuals1 because of their common evolutionarily specified developmental programme2-4. Such organization at the circuit level may constrain neural activity5-8, leading to low-dimensional latent dynamics across the neural population9-11. Accordingly, here we suggested that the shared circuit-level constraints within a species would lead to suitably preserved latent dynamics across individuals. We analysed recordings of neural populations from monkey and mouse motor cortex to demonstrate that neural dynamics in individuals from the same species are surprisingly preserved when they perform similar behaviour. Neural population dynamics were also preserved when animals consciously planned future movements without overt behaviour12 and enabled the decoding of planned and ongoing movement across different individuals. Furthermore, we found that preserved neural dynamics extend beyond cortical regions to the dorsal striatum, an evolutionarily older structure13,14. Finally, we used neural network models to demonstrate that behavioural similarity is necessary but not sufficient for this preservation. We posit that these emergent dynamics result from evolutionary constraints on brain development and thus reflect fundamental properties of the neural basis of behaviour.

The effects of prior exposure to prism lenses on de novo motor skill learning.

Motor learning involves plasticity in a network of brain areas across the cortex and cerebellum. Such traces of learning have the potential to affect subsequent learning of other tasks. In some cases, prior learning can interfere with subsequent learning, but it may be possible to potentiate learning of one task with a prior task if they are sufficiently different. Because prism adaptation involves extensive neuroplasticity, we reasoned that the elevated excitability of neurons could increase their readiness to undergo structural changes, and in turn, create an optimal state for learning a subsequent task. We tested this idea, selecting two different forms of learning tasks, asking whether exposure to a sensorimotor adaptation task can improve subsequent de novo motor skill learning. Participants first learned a new visuomotor mapping induced by prism glasses in which prism strength varied trial-to-trial. Immediately after and the next day, we tested participants on a mirror tracing task, a form of de novo skill learning. Prism-trained and control participants both learned the mirror tracing task, with similar reductions in error and increases in distance traced. Both groups also showed evidence of offline performance gains between the end of day 1 and the start of day 2. However, we did not detect differences between groups. Overall, our results do not support the idea that prism adaptation learning can potentiate subsequent de novo learning. We discuss factors that may have contributed to this result.