Learning a new motor skill typically consists of short periods of active practice—physically doing the task—interspersed with short periods of rest. The combination of practice and rest strengthens the memory in our brain so we can perform the skill better. Traditionally, the consolidation of a new skill has been thought to occur over a period of hours or days. This week in Current Biology, Bönstrup and colleagues examined the time course of practice and rest in how we learn new motor skills on an unprecedented short time scale.
Published via BrainPost.
