Prism adaptation is a well-known model to study sensorimotor adaptive processes. It has been shown that following prism exposure, after-effects are not only restricted to the sensorimotor level but extend as well to spatial cognition. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate in healthy individuals whether expansion to spatial cognition is restricted to adaptive processes peculiar to prism adaptation or whether it occurs as well following other forms of adaptive process such as adaptation to a novel dynamic environment during pointing movements. Representational after-effects were assessed by the perceptual line bisection task before and after adaptation to a leftward or a rightward force field. The main results showed that adaptation developed at sensorimotor level but did not influence space representation. Our results have therefore a strong methodological impact for prospective investigations focusing on sensorimotor plasticity while sparing space cognition. These methodological considerations will be particulary relevant when addressing sensorimotor plasticity in patients with specific representational feature to preserve. The discussion highlights the differences between prism and dynamic adaptation that could explain the lack of after-effect on space representation following force field adaptation.
Prism adaptation is a well-known experimental procedure to study sensorimotor plasticity. It has been shown that following prism exposure, after-effects are not only restricted to the sensorimotor level but extend as well to spatial cognition. In the present study, we used a visuo-motor rotation task which approaches the perturbations induced by prism exposure. We induced either leftward or rightward 15-degree rotations and we presented the perturbation either abruptly (from one trial to the next) or gradually (over a 34-trial transition). First, we found that none of the conditions produced cognitive after-effects in perceptive line bisection task. This result has a strong methodological impact for prospective investigations focusing on sensorimotor plasticity while sparing space cognition; it is particularly relevant when investigating sensorimotor plasticity in patients with specific representational feature to preserve from aggravation. Second, another interesting result was the increase of the sensitivity with which we discriminate the center of the line, that we propose to call representational acuity. It improved following the perturbation more particularly after gradual exposure and persisted for some time after the sensorimotor adaptation. These innovative results are discussed in terms of sensorimotor processes underpinning the transfer of visuomotor plasticity to spatial cognition.
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