Protocols
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Full Notes
Introduction
- Episode focuses on skill learning, especially motor skills
- Applies to athletic performance, recreational exercise, weightlifting, running, swimming, yoga, and musical skills
- Discusses science-backed protocols for learning more quickly, embedding learning, and building up skills
- Covers mental visualization and its role in skill learning and consolidation
Acquisition of New Skills
- Two types of skills: open loop and closed loop
- Open loop: perform action, wait for feedback (e.g., throwing darts)
- Closed loop: continuous action with moment-to-moment feedback (e.g., running, swimming)
- Three components of motor skills:
- Sensory perception: perceiving what is happening around you and within your body
- Movements: actual movements of limbs and body
- Proprioception: awareness of limb positions relative to the body
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Movement generated from central pattern generators (CPGs) in the spinal cord
- CPGs control repetitive movements like walking, running, cycling, and breathing
- After learning a movement, much of the work is handed off to CPGs
Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) and Motor Neurons
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CPGs control learned behavior and rhythmic movement
- Examples: walking, adjusting walking speed
- Present in animals and humans
- Upper motor neurons control deliberate action and learning
- Engaged when learning new skills or performing unlearned movements
- Lower motor neurons control muscle movement
- Located in the spinal cord, send signals to muscles
Focus and Attention in Skill Learning
- Determine if a skill is open loop or closed loop
- Decide what to focus on: auditory, visual, or proprioception
- Allocate attention to specific aspects of the skill
Realistic Expectations and Repetitions in Learning
- Instant skill acquisition is a myth
- 10,000 hours rule is not entirely accurate; learning is about repetitions
- Adjusting focus and motivation can accelerate learning
Super Mario Effect Experiment
- 50,000 subjects learn to program a cursor to move through a maze
- Two groups with different feedback:
- “That did not work. Please try again.”
- “You just lost five points. Please continue.”
- Results:
- 68% success rate for the “try again” group
- 52% success rate for the “lost points” group
- “Try again” group attempted more repetitions per unit time
Tube Test Experiment
- Generally done in mice or rats
-
[Details of the experiment not provided in the transcript]
The Importance of Errors in Skill Learning -
Experiment with rats/mice in tubes
- Winning rat has a higher chance of winning again, losing rat has a higher chance of losing again
- Not related to strength, size, or testosterone
- Brain area in the prefrontal cortex responsible for this effect
- Stimulation of this brain area leads to more repetitions, more effort
- More repetitions per unit time for winners, fewer for losers
- Neurobiological explanation for learning a skill: perform as many repetitions as possible when first learning a skill
- Errors are important for learning, cueing the nervous system to change
Leveraging Errors to Accelerate Skill Learning
- Performing the maximum number of repetitions per training session is advantageous
- Errors cue the nervous system to error correction and open the door for neuroplasticity
- Errors open the possibility for plasticity, allowing the brain to change and improve performance
- Errors cue the frontal cortex networks and neuromodulators (dopamine, acetylcholine, epinephrine) for plasticity
- Making more mistakes makes the brain more plastic, allowing for better learning when the correct pattern is performed
- Dopamine is involved in learning, released when a motor pattern is performed correctly
- Increasing dopamine levels before learning using pharmacology is not recommended, as it reduces the signal-to-noise ratio
Designating Time for Repetitions and Learning
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Designate a specific block of time for performing repetitions when learning a new skill
- Focus on making errors and learning from them to improve performance and skill acquisition
Importance of Errors and Repetition in Skill Learning
- Focus on making errors and learning from them to improve performance and skill acquisition
-
Errors are key to learning
- Failures open up the possibility of plasticity
- Failures cue attention to the appropriate sensory events
- Coaches should allow athletes to pay attention to their errors without external cues
- Errors are necessary for attentional systems and plasticity
- Maximum number of repetitions per learning session is crucial
- Pay attention to errors and neurochemical rewards from successful performance
Post-Learning Period and Sleep
- After a skill learning session, do nothing for a short period (1–10 minutes)
- Brain replays the motor sequence of correct patterns of movement backward
- Consolidation of skill learning occurs during this time
- Sleep is important for learning
- During sleep, the brain replays the motor sequence forward
- Quality sleep is crucial for skill learning
Subsequent Training Sessions
- Subsequent sessions allow for expression of gains from previous sessions
- Perform better on subsequent training sessions
- Opportunity to devote attention in specific ways
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Introduce post-learning sessions for more rapid skill learning
Accelerating Learning through Attention and Errors -
Accelerating learning involves directing perception to specific elements of a movement
- Focusing on one specific aspect of a movement during practice can accelerate learning
- Example: Learning piano sequences without focusing on the sound produced
- Early practice sessions should involve making many errors and allowing the brain to go idle afterward
- Sleep is crucial for maximizing learning
- As skill level increases, attention can shift from one feature of the movement to another
- Example: Focusing on different aspects of a tennis serve (stance, grip, ball landing, etc.)
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Ultra-slow movements can be beneficial for enhancing skill learning, but only after some proficiency has been gained
- Performing ultra-slow movements too early in learning can hinder progress due to lack of proprioceptive feedback and lack of errors generated
Slow Movements in Skill Learning
- Performing ultra-slow movements too early in learning can hinder progress due to lack of proprioceptive feedback and lack of errors generated
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Slow movements can be beneficial once proficient in a skill
- Allows for focus on specific aspects of the movement
- Not effective for learning a new skill from scratch
- Introduce slow learning when success rate is around 25–30%
- Not applicable to all skills (e.g., throwing a dart)
Metronomes in Skill Learning
- Useful for intermediate or advanced practitioners
- Helps generate more repetitions per unit time
- Increases errors and successes, leading to more neuroplasticity
- Auditory metronomes can be used for various skills
- Sets a pace slightly faster than current rate to force errors
- Anchoring movements to an external force accelerates skill acquisition
- Metronomes can be used for speed work in sports
- Trains central pattern generators to operate at higher speeds
- Can extend the range of speeds for certain movements
Skill Learning in the Nervous System
- Attention can be focused on external or internal factors during skill learning
- Metronomes provide an external focus
- Slow movements provide an internal focus
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Combining these approaches can lead to more effective skill learning
- Understanding where skill learning occurs in the nervous system can help improve flexibility and range of motion
Cerebellum and Range of Motion
- Understanding where skill learning occurs in the nervous system can help improve flexibility and range of motion
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Cerebellum: mini brain located at the back of the brain
- Involved in movement and non-movement functions
- Receives input from senses, particularly eyes
- Contains a map of body surface, movements, and timing
- Range of motion and flexibility
- Largely determined by neural innervation of muscles
- Inhibitory pathways prevent muscles from stretching too far
- Increasing range of motion using the cerebellum
- Move eyes to the far periphery (left and right) to send a signal to the cerebellum
- Expands the field of view and increases range of motion
- Can be applied to any limb
- Useful for warming up before exercise or skill learning
Visualization and Mental Rehearsal
- Mental visualization can help learn skills faster
- Not as effective as physical performance, but can supplement it
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Study by Ranginathan et al (2004)
- 30 subjects divided into different groups
- Found that mental visualization can lead to some gains in muscle strength and skill learning
- However, not as effective as actually performing the skill or exercise
Mental Rehearsal and Physical Training
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Mental rehearsal can improve strength and skill acquisition
- Increases in finger abduction strength by 35% and elbow flexion strength by 13.5%
- Not as effective as actual physical training, which can lead to improvements of about 53%
- Visualization engages upper motor neurons, similar to actual movement
- Upper motor neurons generate the command for movement, not the actual movement
- Proprioception and feedback to the cerebellum are crucial for learning and adaptation
- Actual physical engagement in behavior is necessary for optimal learning
Alpha GPC
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Can enhance power output and cognitive function
- Beneficial for activities requiring force and power generation
- Dosages: 300–600mg for power output, up to 1200mg daily (divided into three doses of 400mg) for cognitive effects
- Notable effects on cognitive decline in older populations and Alzheimer’s patients
- 14% increase in power output in one study
Alpha GPC and Skill Learning
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Alpha GPC has various effects:
- Increases fat oxidation
- Promotes growth hormone release (small degree)
- Improves power output when combined with low levels of caffeine
- These effects can support skill learning by adjusting the foundation for executing repetitions
Caffeine and Skill Learning
- Caffeine can motivate and help execute physical training
- For cognitive learning, it’s better to spike adrenaline levels after learning
- For physical learning, take caffeine before training
Ultradian Cycles and Skill Learning
- Ultradian cycles are 90-minute cycles optimal for learning and attention in the waking state
- Physical practice duration depends on the activity and individual
- Focus on the density of training inside a session (maximal repetitions and failures)
- Improvement in skill may not be linear but will show progress with consistent practice
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