Program Overview

Hypothesis: The problem of a normal subject attempting to develop a complex skill common to expert performance is analogous to a brain trauma patient attempting to recover a complex skill possessed before their trauma. Hence, methods developed to enable average individuals to perform complex tasks usually performed by experts will apply to brain trauma patients trying to recover complex tasks they had before their trauma.

Need. Current rehabilitation methods consist in rote repetition of physical exercises targeted at lost skills and capabilities. While this standardized approach does provide many successes, it may be possible to significantly accelerate recovery and in addition, recover skills from injuries not presently possible.

Objective of this Research Program: The objective of this research is to test this hypothesis and if verified, develop new methods of brain trauma rehabilitation according to the specifications that are established by the research experiments.

Technical Rationale: Why Should this Research Program be Expected to Yield Useful Results?

What have We Done So Far to Advance this Research? Presently, we have carried out five years of research into developing the formal methodology to conduct scientifically sound and non intrusive research on norman subjects performing complex tasks. The format of our methodology is: 1) Isolate a complex task preformed by experts to be developed by the control group; 2) Breakdown this task into its basic components; 3) Recreate the task in a test standardized subject to isolate the key issues; 4) Develop a procedure that meets the specifications set forth in the training specification; 5) Execute training program and evaluate results by video analysis, radar measurements, and interviews. 6) Metrics consists in pattern matching of video and radar data between test subjects and expert performance. Interviews are used to develop further insights into experiment design and conduct.

The Task of Normal Subjects in Developing Complex Skills We have found that normal subjects, when confronted with the challenge that they can develop expert skills, are apprehensive, doubtful, fearful, and lacking in confidence. When introducing subjects to the components of complex movements we find that subjects are rigid in their attempts to execute the movement, experience anxiety, and quickly revert to their present movement capability as soon as our attempts to guide them to execute a new movement cease. Many subjects are extremely resistant to the introduction of simple movements of their arm that they have not previously be executing. However, we have found that new movements never before used are initiated by the subject within six weeks of the time the subject is first introduced to the movement.

The Role of Rote Repetition We have found that rote repetition can only serve to initiate a stimulus to the development of motor pathways but is of little value in extended use. Rather, purposeful actions built around a result are far more effective in skill development, especially if these training exercises can be linked to emotional values of the subject. This implies that a training regime should have minimal rote repetition and rote repetition should only serve as a bio feed back stimulus to initiate neuronal reorganization but not to guide the reorganization.

The Role of Complex Stimulus Sequences We have found that while rote repetition is of minimal value, complex stimulus sequences are of considerable value. In fact, we find that if a subject is placed into a rote repetition practice, they will begin to create their own complexity. This suggests that complexity serves a fundamental purpose in the formation of skills that is essential to brain development. However, it appears that complexity must be combined with purpose to achieve the best results.

Skills are Developed from Mesoscopic Components Rather than from Templates We have found repeatedly that template based learning is futile if one wishes to achieve a complex skill in the minimum time frame. We attribute this fact to the theories of Freeman concerning Mesoscopic Brain Dynamics. In general, the theory that the brain develops skills by forming mesoscopic assemblies of neurons that cannot be clearly delineated and connected to a specific end use function is born out by observations over the past five years. The significance of this is that targeting the formation of the right mesoscopic assembly will accelerate skill development and will accelerate skill recovery in brain trauma patients.

However, mesoscopic assemblies can be formed in stages, pruned, and even disassembled depending on their compatibility with existing assemblies. This suggests that a comprehensive evaluation of a subject (whether an athlete or brain trauma patient) must be carried out with the objective of establishing a coherent view of the subjects capability and present level of development that interrelates existing skills and absences.

Of all brain dynamics that pose a challenge to skill development, the phenomena of disassembly of structures that are poorly formed, inconsistent, or incompatible with neighboring or interfacing structures is the greatest challenge. We believe that this fact is a reflection of a basic principle of neural assembly formation: Neurons will not be left idle, but rather there is a constant process by which they tested for incorporation into stable assemblies, and if the enlarged assembly retains its stability, the neuron will be retained. Otherwise it is disassembled or rearranged. Thus, competative-cooperative neuronal dynamics may be fundamental to the learning process.

Summary Statement: Our observations that there are significant parallels between normal subjects learning complex tasks and brain trauma patients relearning complex tasks is the first reason to believe that this research will produce useful results. Second, the invariants of the human learning process we have touched on above provide further rationale that this research will succeed. And last, our research to date has provided informal data that convinces us that this line of research will be fruitful.

Why not Experiment on Brain Trauma Patients Directly?

Non intrusive experimentation on normal subjects is preferred to non invasive experimentation on brain trauma patients for several reasons: 1) Normal subjects usually do not have the technical "unknowns" common to brain trauma victims that cannot be factored into the integrity of the research results or accounted for by assumptions qualifying the experimental results. 2) Normal subjects can interact with the scientist without limitation. 3) Normal subjects developing useful and desired skills are less subject to psychological distress than brain trauma patients facing an uncertain outcome while being required to put forth significant effort.

Technical Approach

Our approach will be to first formalize and publish many of the informal results we have achieved to date. These results will serve to provide a baseline program from which various avenues of research can be considered.

Among the results to be formalized are: 1) Demonstrating that breaking down a complex task into simple components which can be explained in terms of a purpose provides a significantly faster avenue of learning than traditional rote methods. 2) Demonstrating that it is possible to infer a kinetic motor map of a subject from observations of their learning process. 3) Demonstrating that the phenomena of activation diffusion whereby a the control pathway between, for example, the hand and eye can activate neurons of the face and other peripheral structures resulting in a reduction in the efficiency of the eye to hand coordination.

Venue: Subjects will be selected from volunteers from the GWU men's and women's tennis team based on their lack of important skills for professional play. Studies will be conducted in conjunction with both tennis coaches and data will be gathered from the training facility at the GWU Mt. Vernon facility.

Results

Publications in prominent refereed journals. Potential patentable rehabilitation devices and programs

Costs.

GWU will incur no costs. All equipment and analysis will be provided by ACT. GWU will provide a research associate who has an interest in this program and who provides expertise in neurology and brain trauma research. GWU tennis teams will make their players available for participation in this research project.