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SUMMARY:Computational Neuroscience Journal Club - David Franklin (Universi
 ty of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20091117T160000Z
DTEND:20091117T170000Z
UID:TALK21571@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Jean-Pascal Pfister
DESCRIPTION:David Franklin will speak about\n\nMotor Learning Is Optimally
  Tuned to the Properties of Motor Noise\n\nRobert J. van Beers\, Neuron (2
 009)\n\nhttp://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273%2809%2900516-9\n\nA
 bstract:\nIn motor learning\, our brain uses movement errors to adjust pla
 nning of future movements. This process has traditionally been studied by 
 examining how motor planning is adjusted in response to visuomotor or dyna
 mic perturbations. Here\, I show that the learning strategy can be better 
 identified from the statistics of movements made in the absence of perturb
 ations. The strategy identified this way differs from the learning mechani
 sm assumed in mainstream models for motor learning. Crucial for this strat
 egy is that motor noise arises partly centrally\, in movement planning\, a
 nd partly peripherally\, in movement execution. Corrections are made by mo
 dification of central planning signals from the previous movement\, which 
 include the effects of planning but not execution noise. The size of the c
 orrections is such that the movement variability is minimized. This physio
 logically plausible strategy is optimally tuned to the properties of motor
  noise\, and likely underlies learning in many motor tasks.
LOCATION:Cambridge University Engineering Department\, CBL Rm #438 (http:/
 /learning.eng.cam.ac.uk/Public/Directions)
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