Learning by Doing and Learning by Thinking: An fMRI Study of Combining Motor and Mental Training

The current study investigated behavioral and neural effects of motor, mental, and combined motor and mental training on a finger tapping task. The motor or mental training groups trained on a finger-sequence for a total of 72 min over 6 weeks. The motor and mental training group received 72 min motor training and in addition 72 min mental training. Results showed that all groups increased their tapping performance significantly on the trained sequence. After training functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data was collected and indicated training specific increases in ventral pre-motor cortex following motor training, and in fusiform gyrus following mental training. Combined motor and mental training activated both the motor and the visual regions. In addition, motor and mental training showed a significant increase in tapping performance on an untrained sequence (transfer). fMRI scanning indicated that the transfer effect involved the cerebellum. Conclusions were that combined motor and mental training recruited both motor and visual systems, and that combined motor and mental training improves motor flexibility via connections from both motor and cognitive systems to the cerebellum

Provable Security Against a Differential Attack

The purpose of this paper is to show that there exist DES-like iterated ciphers, which are provably resistant against differential attacks. The main result on the security of a DES-like cipher with independent round keys is Theorem 1, which gives an upper bound to the probability of s-round differentials, as defined in Markov Ciphers and Differential Cryptanalysis by X. Lai et al. and this upper bound depends only on the round function of the iterated cipher. Moreover, it is shown that there exist functions such that the probabilities of differentials are less than or equal to 23-n, where n is the length of the plaintext block. We also show a prototype of an iterated block cipher, which is compatible with DES and has proven security against differential attacks

Working memory training mostly engages general-purpose large-scale networks for learning

The present meta-analytic study examined brain activation changes following working memory (WM) training, a form of cognitive training that has attracted considerable interest. Comparisons with perceptual-motor (PM) learning revealed that WM training engages domain-general large-scale networks for learning encompassing the dorsal attention and salience networks, sensory areas, and striatum. Also the dynamics of the training-induced brain activation changes within these networks showed a high overlap between WM and PM training. The distinguishing feature for WM training was the consistent modulation of the dorso- and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC/VLPFC) activity. The strongest candidate for mediating transfer to similar untrained WM tasks was the frontostriatal system, showing higher striatal and VLPFC activations, and lower DLPFC activations after training. Modulation of transfer-related areas occurred mostly with longer training periods. Overall, our findings place WM training effects into a general perception-action cycle, where some modulations may depend on the specific cognitive demands of a training task.Peer reviewe

Teachers Valuing Teachers: A new professional development initiative

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of three years’ worth of purposeful interactions between colleagues in the mathematics department at a Montreal area High School as a form of ‘grass roots’ professional development. Recognizing the lack of meaningful avenues for self-improvement within the teaching community, this group started meeting formally and regularly to discuss improving their practice. Over the course of the three years they met there was the strong feeling that there had been an overall improvement in the quality of the instruction within a student centered learning approach. The experience was described as empowering and led to a greater degree of accountability as well as a stronger sense of camaraderie for each of the ten participants. Each member described how they felt that they had improved their craft in some way and how much more connected they felt to each other. In a School Board that primarily relies on periodic mass workshops to provide professional development to its workforce, this professional learning community appears to offer an interesting alternative instead. Parker J. Palmer (1998) provides the backdrop throughout by suggesting that teachers tap into their individual strengths and create communities that are conducive to teaching and learning. The main questions to be answered in this paper, through dissection of some of the existing literature and in interviews with the participants, are whether this sort of group dynamic meets the criteria of PD and if it is a viable alternative to what is currently being offered

Motor Representations and Practice Affect Brain Systems Underlying Imagery: An fMRI Study of Internal Imagery in Novices and Active High Jumpers

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate differences in brain activity between one group of active high jumpers and one group of high jumping novices (controls) when performing motor imagery of a high jump. It was also investigated how internal imagery training affects neural activity. The results showed that active high jumpers primarily activated motor areas, e.g. pre-motor cortex and cerebellum. Novices activated visual areas, e.g. superior occipital cortex. Imagery training resulted in a reduction of activity in parietal cortex. These results indicate that in order to use an internal perspective during motor imagery of a complex skill, one must have well established motor representations of the skill which then translates into a motor/internal pattern of brain activity. If not, an external perspective will be used and the corresponding brain activation will be a visual/external pattern. Moreover, the findings imply that imagery training reduces the activity in parietal cortex suggesting that imagery is performed more automatic and results in a more efficient motor representation more easily accessed during motor performance

Overlapping Areas of Neuronal Activation After Motor and Mental Imagery Training

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