Do Pursuit Movement Tasks Lead to Differential Changes in Early Somatosensory Evoked Potentials Related to Motor Learning in Comparison to Typing Tasks? Affiliation

35 36 Central nervous system (CNS) plasticity is essential for development; however recent research 37 has demonstrated its role in pathology, particularly following overuse and repetition. Previous 38 studies investigating changes in sensorimotor integration (SMI) have used relatively simple 39 paradigms resulting in minimal changes in neural activity, as determined through the use of 40 somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). This study sought to utilize complex tasks and compare 41 separate motor paradigms to determine which one best facilitates long-term learning. Spinal, 42 brainstem and cortical SEPs were recorded following median nerve stimulation at the wrist pre 43 and post interventions. 18 participants performed the same paradigms, a control condition of 10 44 minutes of mental recitation, and two interventions, one consisting of 10 minutes of tracing and 45 the other, 10 minutes of repetitive typing. Significant increases in the N13, N20, P25 and N30 46 SEP peaks were seen for both interventions. A significant decrease in the N24 SEP peak was 47 observed for both interventions. Significant improvements in accuracy were seen for both 48 interventions post-acquisition but only for tracing during retention. The changes seen following 49 motor learning were congruent with those associated with long-term learning which was also 50 reflected by significant increases in accuracy during retention. Tracing or the pursuit movement 51 paradigm was shown to be a more effective learning tool. The identification of a task which is 52 sufficiently novel and complex, leading to robust changes in SEP peaks indicates a task which 53 can be utilized in future work to study clinical populations and the effect of experimental 54 interventions on SMI. 55