#motorlearning — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #motorlearning, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: August 10, 2026 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Scientists discover a previously unknown cognitive benefit of aerobic exercise
Engaging in a brief session of moderate aerobic exercise tends to protect the brain’s automatic ability to adjust physical movements. A recent study published in Physiology Behavior suggests that twenty minutes of stationary cycling prevents a natural decline in unconscious motor learning that typically occurs after a period of rest. These findings provide evidence that working up a sweat might prime the nervous system for physical rehabilitation and skill acquisition.
When a person uses a computer mouse with high sensitivity for the first time, their hand movements initially overshoot the desired target on the screen. The brain expects the cursor to land in a specific spot based on the physical hand movement. When the visual feedback does not match the expectation, the brain registers a sensory prediction error. To fix this mismatch, the nervous system constantly updates its internal map to ensure future movements are accurate.
This ongoing recalibration process is known as sensorimotor adaptation. Motor learning relies on a combination of conscious and unconscious systems. The explicit process involves intentional cognitive strategies, such as consciously aiming to the left to correct for a persistent error to the right. The implicit process operates entirely under the surface, automatically tweaking motor commands without the person realizing it.
Past studies suggest that a single session of aerobic exercise improves general motor learning. A research team led by Zivar Beyraghi at the Université de Sherbrooke sought to isolate the unconscious component. Because large or sudden errors tend to trigger conscious aiming strategies, previous findings could not separate intentional strategy use from automatic neural updating. It remained an open question whether getting the heart rate up specifically primed the brain’s implicit adaptation systems.
The researchers recruited 26 healthy young adults for the experiment. The sample included 15 females, and the participants had an average age of about 25 years. The experiment used a within-participant design, meaning every individual completed both the active condition and the resting condition on separate days to serve as their own point of comparison.
During the testing sessions, participants sat at a specialized robotic apparatus that tracked their arm movements. They could not see their actual hand. Instead, they watched a white cursor on a screen that usually mirrored their hand’s position. The task required them to reach outward from a central starting point toward a specific target.
To evaluate implicit adaptation, the researchers subtly manipulated the visual feedback. On random trials, the computer rotated the cursor’s path 30 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise from the actual hand movement. The researchers specifically instructed the participants to ignore these disturbances and simply aim straight for the target on every trial. They told the participants that any conscious strategy would be useless.
The scientists measured a phenomenon called the post-rotation bias to quantify automatic learning. When a person experiences a rotated visual cursor on one trial, their hand involuntarily drifts in the opposite direction on the very next attempt. This happens even if they know the next trial will behave normally. This subtle, involuntary shift provides an isolated measure of implicit adaptation.
Participants completed 180 reaching trials before and after a designated break period. On the exercise day, the break consisted of a 20-minute session of moderate-intensity stationary cycling, preceded by a warm-up and followed by a cool-down. The researchers adjusted the resistance on the bike to keep each person’s heart rate strictly between 65 and 75 percent of their individual maximum capacity. On the resting day, participants spent the break time resting and watching a documentary.
The data provided evidence that physical exertion influenced the speed and vigor of the participants’ movements. The researchers calculated total response time by adding the time it took to react to the target and the time it took to finish the physical reach. Before the cycling intervention, total response time averaged 555 milliseconds. After exercising, this metric dropped to 532 milliseconds, representing a faster overall performance by a relative margin of about 4 percent.
Following the resting condition, response times hovered steadily around 540 to 534 milliseconds. The post-rotation bias measurements suggested a distinct protective effect on automatic learning. Before the rest period, the participants exhibited an average involuntary hand shift of 2.93 degrees. Following the documentary break, this adaptation bias shrank to 2.20 degrees.
This decrease indicates that the brain’s automatic responsiveness to sensory errors naturally faded after resting or performing the repetitive task. The moderate cycling session appeared to block this natural decay. Before the exercise, the adaptation bias averaged 2.45 degrees. After the workout, the bias held nearly steady at 2.40 degrees.
By maintaining the magnitude of this unconscious learning metric, the physical activity shielded the brain’s internal updating process. It prevented the attenuation observed during the resting day. Interpreting these findings requires noting that aerobic exercise did not elevate the baseline capacity for implicit learning beyond the initial starting point. The data instead points to a preservation effect, where the physical activity maintained the existing adaptation levels.
The exact reason for the decline in the resting condition is not fully established. It might relate to neural fatigue, a fading of attention, or a saturation of the brain’s learning circuits from repeating the same reaching task multiple times. Another aspect of the experimental design warrants attention regarding the study’s timeline. Due to scheduling constraints, the time gap between the two experimental sessions was noticeably longer for one group of participants than the other.
Statistical analyses indicated that this discrepancy did not change the overall pattern of the outcomes. Even so, uneven spacing between testing days introduces an uncontrolled variable into the experiment. Future investigations are necessary to map the precise biological pathways linking a racing heart to preserved motor learning.
Researchers aim to measure how exercise alters neurotransmitter levels, such as norepinephrine, or changes blood flow in the cerebellum. Understanding these cellular mechanisms will help scientists determine exactly how physical exertion keeps the nervous system primed for adapting to the physical world.
The study, “The effect of an acute bout of exercise on implicit sensorimotor adaptation,” was authored by Zivar Beyraghi, Ludovic Arsenault-Lévesque, Jordan Desrosiers, Jean-François Lepage, and Pierre-Michel Bernier.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #aerobicexercise #implicitlearning #sensorimotoradaptation #motorlearning #cognitivebenefits #neuroscience #exercisepsychology #rehabilitation #brainhealth # cycling benefits
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DATE: August 10, 2026 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Scientists discover a previously unknown cognitive benefit of aerobic exercise
Engaging in a brief session of moderate aerobic exercise tends to protect the brain’s automatic ability to adjust physical movements. A recent study published in Physiology Behavior suggests that twenty minutes of stationary cycling prevents a natural decline in unconscious motor learning that typically occurs after a period of rest. These findings provide evidence that working up a sweat might prime the nervous system for physical rehabilitation and skill acquisition.
When a person uses a computer mouse with high sensitivity for the first time, their hand movements initially overshoot the desired target on the screen. The brain expects the cursor to land in a specific spot based on the physical hand movement. When the visual feedback does not match the expectation, the brain registers a sensory prediction error. To fix this mismatch, the nervous system constantly updates its internal map to ensure future movements are accurate.
This ongoing recalibration process is known as sensorimotor adaptation. Motor learning relies on a combination of conscious and unconscious systems. The explicit process involves intentional cognitive strategies, such as consciously aiming to the left to correct for a persistent error to the right. The implicit process operates entirely under the surface, automatically tweaking motor commands without the person realizing it.
Past studies suggest that a single session of aerobic exercise improves general motor learning. A research team led by Zivar Beyraghi at the Université de Sherbrooke sought to isolate the unconscious component. Because large or sudden errors tend to trigger conscious aiming strategies, previous findings could not separate intentional strategy use from automatic neural updating. It remained an open question whether getting the heart rate up specifically primed the brain’s implicit adaptation systems.
The researchers recruited 26 healthy young adults for the experiment. The sample included 15 females, and the participants had an average age of about 25 years. The experiment used a within-participant design, meaning every individual completed both the active condition and the resting condition on separate days to serve as their own point of comparison.
During the testing sessions, participants sat at a specialized robotic apparatus that tracked their arm movements. They could not see their actual hand. Instead, they watched a white cursor on a screen that usually mirrored their hand’s position. The task required them to reach outward from a central starting point toward a specific target.
To evaluate implicit adaptation, the researchers subtly manipulated the visual feedback. On random trials, the computer rotated the cursor’s path 30 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise from the actual hand movement. The researchers specifically instructed the participants to ignore these disturbances and simply aim straight for the target on every trial. They told the participants that any conscious strategy would be useless.
The scientists measured a phenomenon called the post-rotation bias to quantify automatic learning. When a person experiences a rotated visual cursor on one trial, their hand involuntarily drifts in the opposite direction on the very next attempt. This happens even if they know the next trial will behave normally. This subtle, involuntary shift provides an isolated measure of implicit adaptation.
Participants completed 180 reaching trials before and after a designated break period. On the exercise day, the break consisted of a 20-minute session of moderate-intensity stationary cycling, preceded by a warm-up and followed by a cool-down. The researchers adjusted the resistance on the bike to keep each person’s heart rate strictly between 65 and 75 percent of their individual maximum capacity. On the resting day, participants spent the break time resting and watching a documentary.
The data provided evidence that physical exertion influenced the speed and vigor of the participants’ movements. The researchers calculated total response time by adding the time it took to react to the target and the time it took to finish the physical reach. Before the cycling intervention, total response time averaged 555 milliseconds. After exercising, this metric dropped to 532 milliseconds, representing a faster overall performance by a relative margin of about 4 percent.
Following the resting condition, response times hovered steadily around 540 to 534 milliseconds. The post-rotation bias measurements suggested a distinct protective effect on automatic learning. Before the rest period, the participants exhibited an average involuntary hand shift of 2.93 degrees. Following the documentary break, this adaptation bias shrank to 2.20 degrees.
This decrease indicates that the brain’s automatic responsiveness to sensory errors naturally faded after resting or performing the repetitive task. The moderate cycling session appeared to block this natural decay. Before the exercise, the adaptation bias averaged 2.45 degrees. After the workout, the bias held nearly steady at 2.40 degrees.
By maintaining the magnitude of this unconscious learning metric, the physical activity shielded the brain’s internal updating process. It prevented the attenuation observed during the resting day. Interpreting these findings requires noting that aerobic exercise did not elevate the baseline capacity for implicit learning beyond the initial starting point. The data instead points to a preservation effect, where the physical activity maintained the existing adaptation levels.
The exact reason for the decline in the resting condition is not fully established. It might relate to neural fatigue, a fading of attention, or a saturation of the brain’s learning circuits from repeating the same reaching task multiple times. Another aspect of the experimental design warrants attention regarding the study’s timeline. Due to scheduling constraints, the time gap between the two experimental sessions was noticeably longer for one group of participants than the other.
Statistical analyses indicated that this discrepancy did not change the overall pattern of the outcomes. Even so, uneven spacing between testing days introduces an uncontrolled variable into the experiment. Future investigations are necessary to map the precise biological pathways linking a racing heart to preserved motor learning.
Researchers aim to measure how exercise alters neurotransmitter levels, such as norepinephrine, or changes blood flow in the cerebellum. Understanding these cellular mechanisms will help scientists determine exactly how physical exertion keeps the nervous system primed for adapting to the physical world.
The study, “The effect of an acute bout of exercise on implicit sensorimotor adaptation,” was authored by Zivar Beyraghi, Ludovic Arsenault-Lévesque, Jordan Desrosiers, Jean-François Lepage, and Pierre-Michel Bernier.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #aerobicexercise #implicitlearning #sensorimotoradaptation #motorlearning #cognitivebenefits #neuroscience #exercisepsychology #rehabilitation #brainhealth # cycling benefits
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DATE: July 28, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: A single dose of LSD may boosts the brain’s ability to consolidate new physical skills
A recent study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology provides evidence that a single dose of the psychedelic drug LSD can improve motor learning the next day and reduce perceived stress up to a week later. The research also reveals subtle, lingering changes in how the brain processes auditory information and controls muscle movements. These findings suggest that LSD may temporarily enhance certain types of learning and psychological flexibility, opening the door for potential therapeutic applications in physical rehabilitation.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, is a powerful psychedelic compound known for altering perception and mood. In recent years, this substance has emerged as a potential treatment for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Traditional psychiatric treatments often require daily medication, making a single-dose treatment highly appealing. A single dose of a psychedelic tends to produce therapeutic effects that can persist for months.
This extended timeline suggests that the drug might induce lasting physical or functional changes in the brain. Animal models indicate that LSD and similar drugs might trigger these changes by promoting neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural networks and grow new connections.
Preclinical studies hint that psychedelics might create a temporary window where learning becomes much more efficient. This window of enhanced learning could apply to simple conditioning as well as complex social behaviors. However, evidence regarding these lingering effects in humans remains scarce. Past research has mostly focused on the immediate experience of the drug rather than what happens in the days following the trip.
Abigail Calder, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, noticed this disparity in the scientific literature. “We knew of the theory that psychedelics stimulate neuroplasticity, and neuroplasticity is closely connected to learning,” Calder said.
“As we planned the study there was beginning to be a lot of research on psychedelics and neuroplasticity, but there was almost nothing on learning,” Calder explained. “It seemed like time to begin filling in that gap.”
The authors of the current paper designed an experiment to track human brain activity and behavior after the initial effects of LSD faded. They specifically wanted to investigate motor learning, which involves the brain’s ability to pick up and consolidate new physical skills. Motor learning holds significant clinical relevance for physical rehabilitation and recovering from brain injuries.
By measuring sensory processing, motor system excitability, and psychological functioning, the team aimed to map out how a single dose of LSD influences the nervous system over a one-week period. The experiment involved a randomized, double-blind crossover trial with 45 healthy participants. The volunteers were aged between 21 and 55, and data from 43 participants were analyzed.
Each person attended two separate dosing sessions at least four weeks apart. In one session, they received a full 100-microgram dose of LSD, and in the other, they received an inactive placebo. Participants were told the placebo might be a very low dose of LSD to help manage their expectations.
During the sessions, the scientific team used electroencephalography, widely known as EEG, to record electrical brain activity. Through electrodes placed on the scalp, they measured how the brain responded to a series of auditory tones. They specifically focused on two types of brain waves, known as the N1 and P2 components.
The N1 wave reflects early sensory processing, while the P2 wave tends to track attentional focus and novelty detection. The researchers also attempted to measure brain plasticity using a technique called sensory tetanization. This method involves playing very rapid tones to see if the brain’s electrical response strengthens over time.
In addition to brain waves, the team applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability of the brain’s motor system. This technique uses a magnetic coil placed against the head to send safe, brief pulses into the motor cortex. To test for neuroplasticity, they paired these magnetic pulses with a mild, painless electrical shock to a nerve in the participant’s wrist.
These paired pulses cause a measurable muscle twitch in the participant’s right thumb. The scientists recorded the size and speed of these twitches to gauge how responsive the motor system was under the drug’s influence. They repeated this process across several time points to track changes in muscle responsiveness over a full week.
To check for chemical markers of brain growth, the team took blood samples to measure brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This specific protein helps support the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth of new synapses. Blood was drawn before drug intake, as well as eight hours, one day, and one week later.
The researchers checked both blood plasma and blood serum to ensure they did not miss any subtle chemical changes circulating in the body. One day after taking the drug, participants completed a sequence typing task to test their motor learning. They used their non-dominant hand to type a nine-digit number sequence on a keyboard as quickly and accurately as possible.
The task measured “online” learning during ten active practice rounds. It also measured “offline” learning, which refers to the brain’s ability to consolidate and improve a skill after a period of rest. The participants rested for ten minutes and then for eighty minutes before being tested again. Finally, participants completed psychological questionnaires to assess their perceived stress levels and cognitive flexibility one week after the initial dosing session.
The scientists found that LSD produced measurable changes in both behavior and brain activity. On the motor learning task, participants showed significantly greater improvements in typing speed one day after taking LSD compared to the placebo condition.
“We saw that a single, moderately strong dose of LSD (100 micrograms) improved motor learning the next day, on a typing task,” Calder told PsyPost. “LSD was associated with improved learning consolidation, which is the phase of learning that takes place during rest after practicing a motor skill.”
This improvement specifically occurred during the “offline” resting period rather than during the active practice rounds. Participants improved their typing speed by roughly 33 percent more after the eighty-minute rest period when they had taken LSD. The drug did not affect their typing accuracy, indicating that they were not simply sacrificing precision for speed. “This suggests that psychedelics like LSD might temporarily (though quite modestly!) improve the ability to learn new motor movements,” Calder noted.
The EEG recordings showed that LSD acutely reduced the size of the N1 and P2 brain waves on the day the drug was given. This reduction suggests a temporary disruption in early auditory processing and a shift in how the brain allocates attention to external sounds. The reduction in the P2 brain wave persisted the next day and showed signs of lingering up to one week later.
However, the rapid-tone sensory tetanization procedure failed to produce the expected signs of brain plasticity in either group. Magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex revealed that brain-to-muscle signals became faster and larger on the day participants took LSD. The next day, the size of these muscle responses decreased compared to the placebo condition.
Calder found these immediate physical reactions particularly intriguing. “While people were on LSD (about 8 hours after dosing), we saw larger, faster muscle movements in response to TMS stimulation of the motor cortex,” Calder said.
“It especially surprised me that their movements were any faster than usual,” Calder added. “We still don’t know why that was, or even if it’s useful knowledge. But it was a novel finding.”
The blood tests did not show any changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels at any point during the study. This lack of change might occur because blood levels of this protein do not always accurately reflect protein levels inside the brain. On the psychological questionnaires, participants reported lower levels of perceived stress one week after the LSD session.
They also scored higher on a subscale measuring their ability to generate alternative solutions to difficult situations, which represents a key component of cognitive flexibility. During the active drug experience, side effects were common but generally mild and transient, matching typical psychedelic experiences.
Interpreting these findings requires noting a few constraints in the experimental design. The researchers intended to use rapid audio tones and magnetic pulses to directly measure long-term changes in neural plasticity. These specific measurement techniques failed to produce the expected baseline effects even when participants took the placebo.
This lack of baseline response made it impossible to confirm if the motor learning improvements were definitively driven by enhanced neuroplasticity. The motor learning gains observed the day after taking LSD might be explained by lingering effects on motivation or attention. If participants felt more engaged or aroused the day after their psychedelic experience, they might have simply performed better on the typing task.
“We aren’t sure how reliable the effect on motor learning is, how long it lasts, or under what exact circumstances it arises,” Calder cautioned. “We also don’t know if it generalizes to other types of learning, and we actually can’t even say whether it’s directly related to neuroplasticity.”
To prevent people from jumping to incorrect conclusions, Calder provided a practical warning about these early results. “So hold off on taking LSD before trying to study or start skiing lessons,” Calder said.
The scientists also noted that LSD often causes mild muscle tension or shaking during the peak drug experience. Because they did not measure resting muscle tension before applying the magnetic brain pulses, they cannot be sure if the faster muscle twitches were due to changes in the brain or simply tense muscles in the hand. Additionally, participants correctly guessed when they received the full dose of LSD due to its strong psychoactive effects.
This lack of successful blinding means that participants’ positive expectations about psychedelics could have influenced their lower stress scores. Future research projects will need to address these variables by including objective, task-based measurements of stress and motivation. Tracking participants over a longer period would also clarify if the improvements in motor learning and psychological flexibility persist over time.
“First and foremost, it’s important to replicate these findings in other samples to make sure they’re reliable,” Calder said regarding future studies. “I’m also excited to investigate whether LSD’s alleged effect on motor learning generalizes to other types of learning (like learning new emotional patterns in psychotherapy), how long learning effects last (days? weeks?), and whether other psychedelics also stimulate learning ability.”
Calder also emphasized a broader need within this scientific field to improve methodology. “We also need to get better at reliably and non-invasively measuring neuroplasticity in humans,” Calder said.
The study, “Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study,” was authored by Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J. Diehl, Morten P. Lietz, Parsa Yousefi, Nicole Friedli, Fabio Coviello, Antonin Rouaud, Kristian Beichmann, Anne Eckert, and Gregor Hasler.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSDlearning #Neuroplasticity #MotorLearning #PsychedelicsTherapy #CognitiveFlexibility #StressReduction #Neuropsychopharmacology #LearningConsolidation #BrainStimulation #RehabilitationResearch
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DATE: July 28, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: A single dose of LSD may boosts the brain’s ability to consolidate new physical skills
A recent study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology provides evidence that a single dose of the psychedelic drug LSD can improve motor learning the next day and reduce perceived stress up to a week later. The research also reveals subtle, lingering changes in how the brain processes auditory information and controls muscle movements. These findings suggest that LSD may temporarily enhance certain types of learning and psychological flexibility, opening the door for potential therapeutic applications in physical rehabilitation.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, is a powerful psychedelic compound known for altering perception and mood. In recent years, this substance has emerged as a potential treatment for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Traditional psychiatric treatments often require daily medication, making a single-dose treatment highly appealing. A single dose of a psychedelic tends to produce therapeutic effects that can persist for months.
This extended timeline suggests that the drug might induce lasting physical or functional changes in the brain. Animal models indicate that LSD and similar drugs might trigger these changes by promoting neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural networks and grow new connections.
Preclinical studies hint that psychedelics might create a temporary window where learning becomes much more efficient. This window of enhanced learning could apply to simple conditioning as well as complex social behaviors. However, evidence regarding these lingering effects in humans remains scarce. Past research has mostly focused on the immediate experience of the drug rather than what happens in the days following the trip.
Abigail Calder, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, noticed this disparity in the scientific literature. “We knew of the theory that psychedelics stimulate neuroplasticity, and neuroplasticity is closely connected to learning,” Calder said.
“As we planned the study there was beginning to be a lot of research on psychedelics and neuroplasticity, but there was almost nothing on learning,” Calder explained. “It seemed like time to begin filling in that gap.”
The authors of the current paper designed an experiment to track human brain activity and behavior after the initial effects of LSD faded. They specifically wanted to investigate motor learning, which involves the brain’s ability to pick up and consolidate new physical skills. Motor learning holds significant clinical relevance for physical rehabilitation and recovering from brain injuries.
By measuring sensory processing, motor system excitability, and psychological functioning, the team aimed to map out how a single dose of LSD influences the nervous system over a one-week period. The experiment involved a randomized, double-blind crossover trial with 45 healthy participants. The volunteers were aged between 21 and 55, and data from 43 participants were analyzed.
Each person attended two separate dosing sessions at least four weeks apart. In one session, they received a full 100-microgram dose of LSD, and in the other, they received an inactive placebo. Participants were told the placebo might be a very low dose of LSD to help manage their expectations.
During the sessions, the scientific team used electroencephalography, widely known as EEG, to record electrical brain activity. Through electrodes placed on the scalp, they measured how the brain responded to a series of auditory tones. They specifically focused on two types of brain waves, known as the N1 and P2 components.
The N1 wave reflects early sensory processing, while the P2 wave tends to track attentional focus and novelty detection. The researchers also attempted to measure brain plasticity using a technique called sensory tetanization. This method involves playing very rapid tones to see if the brain’s electrical response strengthens over time.
In addition to brain waves, the team applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability of the brain’s motor system. This technique uses a magnetic coil placed against the head to send safe, brief pulses into the motor cortex. To test for neuroplasticity, they paired these magnetic pulses with a mild, painless electrical shock to a nerve in the participant’s wrist.
These paired pulses cause a measurable muscle twitch in the participant’s right thumb. The scientists recorded the size and speed of these twitches to gauge how responsive the motor system was under the drug’s influence. They repeated this process across several time points to track changes in muscle responsiveness over a full week.
To check for chemical markers of brain growth, the team took blood samples to measure brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This specific protein helps support the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth of new synapses. Blood was drawn before drug intake, as well as eight hours, one day, and one week later.
The researchers checked both blood plasma and blood serum to ensure they did not miss any subtle chemical changes circulating in the body. One day after taking the drug, participants completed a sequence typing task to test their motor learning. They used their non-dominant hand to type a nine-digit number sequence on a keyboard as quickly and accurately as possible.
The task measured “online” learning during ten active practice rounds. It also measured “offline” learning, which refers to the brain’s ability to consolidate and improve a skill after a period of rest. The participants rested for ten minutes and then for eighty minutes before being tested again. Finally, participants completed psychological questionnaires to assess their perceived stress levels and cognitive flexibility one week after the initial dosing session.
The scientists found that LSD produced measurable changes in both behavior and brain activity. On the motor learning task, participants showed significantly greater improvements in typing speed one day after taking LSD compared to the placebo condition.
“We saw that a single, moderately strong dose of LSD (100 micrograms) improved motor learning the next day, on a typing task,” Calder told PsyPost. “LSD was associated with improved learning consolidation, which is the phase of learning that takes place during rest after practicing a motor skill.”
This improvement specifically occurred during the “offline” resting period rather than during the active practice rounds. Participants improved their typing speed by roughly 33 percent more after the eighty-minute rest period when they had taken LSD. The drug did not affect their typing accuracy, indicating that they were not simply sacrificing precision for speed. “This suggests that psychedelics like LSD might temporarily (though quite modestly!) improve the ability to learn new motor movements,” Calder noted.
The EEG recordings showed that LSD acutely reduced the size of the N1 and P2 brain waves on the day the drug was given. This reduction suggests a temporary disruption in early auditory processing and a shift in how the brain allocates attention to external sounds. The reduction in the P2 brain wave persisted the next day and showed signs of lingering up to one week later.
However, the rapid-tone sensory tetanization procedure failed to produce the expected signs of brain plasticity in either group. Magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex revealed that brain-to-muscle signals became faster and larger on the day participants took LSD. The next day, the size of these muscle responses decreased compared to the placebo condition.
Calder found these immediate physical reactions particularly intriguing. “While people were on LSD (about 8 hours after dosing), we saw larger, faster muscle movements in response to TMS stimulation of the motor cortex,” Calder said.
“It especially surprised me that their movements were any faster than usual,” Calder added. “We still don’t know why that was, or even if it’s useful knowledge. But it was a novel finding.”
The blood tests did not show any changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels at any point during the study. This lack of change might occur because blood levels of this protein do not always accurately reflect protein levels inside the brain. On the psychological questionnaires, participants reported lower levels of perceived stress one week after the LSD session.
They also scored higher on a subscale measuring their ability to generate alternative solutions to difficult situations, which represents a key component of cognitive flexibility. During the active drug experience, side effects were common but generally mild and transient, matching typical psychedelic experiences.
Interpreting these findings requires noting a few constraints in the experimental design. The researchers intended to use rapid audio tones and magnetic pulses to directly measure long-term changes in neural plasticity. These specific measurement techniques failed to produce the expected baseline effects even when participants took the placebo.
This lack of baseline response made it impossible to confirm if the motor learning improvements were definitively driven by enhanced neuroplasticity. The motor learning gains observed the day after taking LSD might be explained by lingering effects on motivation or attention. If participants felt more engaged or aroused the day after their psychedelic experience, they might have simply performed better on the typing task.
“We aren’t sure how reliable the effect on motor learning is, how long it lasts, or under what exact circumstances it arises,” Calder cautioned. “We also don’t know if it generalizes to other types of learning, and we actually can’t even say whether it’s directly related to neuroplasticity.”
To prevent people from jumping to incorrect conclusions, Calder provided a practical warning about these early results. “So hold off on taking LSD before trying to study or start skiing lessons,” Calder said.
The scientists also noted that LSD often causes mild muscle tension or shaking during the peak drug experience. Because they did not measure resting muscle tension before applying the magnetic brain pulses, they cannot be sure if the faster muscle twitches were due to changes in the brain or simply tense muscles in the hand. Additionally, participants correctly guessed when they received the full dose of LSD due to its strong psychoactive effects.
This lack of successful blinding means that participants’ positive expectations about psychedelics could have influenced their lower stress scores. Future research projects will need to address these variables by including objective, task-based measurements of stress and motivation. Tracking participants over a longer period would also clarify if the improvements in motor learning and psychological flexibility persist over time.
“First and foremost, it’s important to replicate these findings in other samples to make sure they’re reliable,” Calder said regarding future studies. “I’m also excited to investigate whether LSD’s alleged effect on motor learning generalizes to other types of learning (like learning new emotional patterns in psychotherapy), how long learning effects last (days? weeks?), and whether other psychedelics also stimulate learning ability.”
Calder also emphasized a broader need within this scientific field to improve methodology. “We also need to get better at reliably and non-invasively measuring neuroplasticity in humans,” Calder said.
The study, “Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study,” was authored by Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J. Diehl, Morten P. Lietz, Parsa Yousefi, Nicole Friedli, Fabio Coviello, Antonin Rouaud, Kristian Beichmann, Anne Eckert, and Gregor Hasler.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LSDlearning #Neuroplasticity #MotorLearning #PsychedelicsTherapy #CognitiveFlexibility #StressReduction #Neuropsychopharmacology #LearningConsolidation #BrainStimulation #RehabilitationResearch
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🧠 New preprint by Greenstreet, Geerts, Gallego, and Clopath on #MotorLearning across #cortex, #cerebellum, and #BasalGanglia.
Key idea: supervised learning builds a low-dimensional action embedding, and #ReinforcementLearning operates directly in this structured space. This explains generalization, interference, and striatal similarity patterns as geometric consequences, not add-ons.
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🧠 New preprint by Greenstreet, Geerts, Gallego, and Clopath on #MotorLearning across #cortex, #cerebellum, and #BasalGanglia.
Key idea: supervised learning builds a low-dimensional action embedding, and #ReinforcementLearning operates directly in this structured space. This explains generalization, interference, and striatal similarity patterns as geometric consequences, not add-ons.
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How do parietal & premotor areas in the brain adapt to a #BrainComputerInterface? This study shows that frontal & parietal #brain areas co-adapt during BCI-based #MotorLearning, offering insights into visuomotor adaptation & informing future #BCI developments @PLOSBiology https://plos.io/3VEZidV
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How do parietal & premotor areas in the brain adapt to a #BrainComputerInterface? This study shows that frontal & parietal #brain areas co-adapt during BCI-based #MotorLearning, offering insights into visuomotor adaptation & informing future #BCI developments @PLOSBiology https://plos.io/3VEZidV
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📣 Now published:
"Auditory-motor adaptation and de-adaptation for speech depend more on time in the new environment than on the amount of practice"
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-025-00304-8
#MotorLearning #Adaptation #Speech #Sensorimotor #MotorControl
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Learning new movements doesn't just change brain activity—it rewires the brain's circuits. Discover how UC San Diego scientists uncovered this transformation. #Neuroscience #BrainPlasticity #MotorLearning
https://geekoo.news/learning-rewires-the-brains-motor-pathways/
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How do we become the pilots of our own bodies? New research reveals the surprising key to building a sense of agency. #Neuroscience #MotorLearning #HumanExperience
https://geekoo.news/learning-to-move-learning-to-be-how-we-build-self-agency/
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Our stellar postdoc Radostina Lyutova presenting her poster on how to improve #motorlearning in #drosophila at #sfn23
Come see her at posterboard UU23 this morning at #sfn #neuroscience -
Our stellar postdoc Radostina Lyutova presenting her poster on how to improve #motorlearning in #drosophila at #sfn23
Come see her at posterboard UU23 this morning at #sfn #neuroscience -
@debivort @schoppik @markgbaxter @elduvelle_neuro @beneuroscience @jzsimon @jzsimon @jonny
This year, we have two posters for #SFN both in the morning.
On Tuesday, it'll be on optogenetic self-stimulation with Ben deBivort as co-author:
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10892/presentation/28323
but it'll be mainly the recent work of undergraduate Luisa Guyton.
On Wednesday it'll be on different ways in which we improve #motorlearning in #Drosophila
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10892/presentation/29876
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@debivort @schoppik @markgbaxter @elduvelle_neuro @beneuroscience @jzsimon @jzsimon @jonny
This year, we have two posters for #SFN both in the morning.
On Tuesday, it'll be on optogenetic self-stimulation with Ben deBivort as co-author:
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10892/presentation/28323
but it'll be mainly the recent work of undergraduate Luisa Guyton.
On Wednesday it'll be on different ways in which we improve #motorlearning in #Drosophila
https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10892/presentation/29876
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It has been a few years that I have been this excited about work coming from our lab! Our latest preprint:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.16.520755v3
rests on a collaboration with Carsten Duch in Mainz:
https://enb-idn.biologie.uni-mainz.de/prof-dr-carsten-duch/
and describes #neuroscience experiments on a type of #motorlearning in #Drosophila that was first described in 1991:
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF00194898.pdf
Now, we present which genes are required in which neurons for this type of learning to take place.
1/6
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It has been a few years that I have been this excited about work coming from our lab! Our latest preprint:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.16.520755v3
rests on a collaboration with Carsten Duch in Mainz:
https://enb-idn.biologie.uni-mainz.de/prof-dr-carsten-duch/
and describes #neuroscience experiments on a type of #motorlearning in #Drosophila that was first described in 1991:
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF00194898.pdf
Now, we present which genes are required in which neurons for this type of learning to take place.
1/6
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Shanaathanan Modchalingam finds that people seem to switch models rather than adapt an existing model when faced with a perturbation that is more clearly environmental than a simple rotation: sideways acceleration. Clever use of #VR virtual reality! #SCAPPS #MotorLearning
PDF: https://deniseh.lab.yorku.ca/files/2023/10/Modchalingam_SCAPPS_2023.pdf?x64373
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Our paper "Prior movement of one arm facilitates motor adaptation in the other" is out @ #JNeurosci.
We show that the direction of a prior movement of the other arm is an effective cue to allow adaptation to interfering force fields. The brain seems to use kinematic information in learned sequences involving different body parts to adjust movements of the same sequence.
Also our data is pretty.
#motorlearning #motorcontrol #motoradaptation @sensorimotor @neuroscience
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2166-22.2023 -
Our paper "Prior movement of one arm facilitates motor adaptation in the other" is out @ #JNeurosci.
We show that the direction of a prior movement of the other arm is an effective cue to allow adaptation to interfering force fields. The brain seems to use kinematic information in learned sequences involving different body parts to adjust movements of the same sequence.
Also our data is pretty.
#motorlearning #motorcontrol #motoradaptation @sensorimotor @neuroscience
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2166-22.2023 -
Here comes a thread about our new preprint!
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.22.517483v1We show that prior movement of the opposite arm is an effective cue to allow force field specific adaptation, while “sensory” prior movement is not.
This is work with @HeedLab, Ian Howard, Saskia Leupold, Arno Villringer, Vadim Nikulin and Bernhard Sehm.
Thanks to @jjodx (I think?) who already provided very insightful fb on the preprint!
@sensorimotor #motorlearning #motorcontrol #motoradaptation
1/6 -
Here comes a thread about our new preprint!
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.22.517483v1We show that prior movement of the opposite arm is an effective cue to allow force field specific adaptation, while “sensory” prior movement is not.
This is work with @HeedLab, Ian Howard, Saskia Leupold, Arno Villringer, Vadim Nikulin and Bernhard Sehm.
Thanks to @jjodx (I think?) who already provided very insightful fb on the preprint!
@sensorimotor #motorlearning #motorcontrol #motoradaptation
1/6