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Mental rotation (MR) is a spatial skill considered to be a key-component of intellectual ability. Studies have suggested that the response time (RT) in a MR task (MRt) might be influenced, with possible gender differences, by the practice of a physical activity (PA) and depending on the plane, direction, degrees of the MR and the frame of reference to perform it. The present study aimed at examining the respective influences of all these variables on the RT by developing a linear mixed-effect model from the RTs varying according to the MR plane, direction, degrees and frame of reference. The MRt was performed by 96 males and females, all undergraduate students, distributed in three groups (sedentary subjects, artistic gymnasts, and futsal players). The results showed that only gender had a main effect (faster log RT in males), probably task-dependent. The other variables interacted among them showing that: (a) the log RT may be influenced by rotations experienced during PA, in particular during the locomotion on a horizontal ground and (b) such influence mainly depends on the compatibility of the physical rotations experienced with the plane and the degrees of the MRt.

International audience; Virtual and Augmented Reality Environments have long been seen as having strong potential for educational applications. However, research showing actual evidences of their benefits is sparse. Indeed , some recent studies point to unnoticeable benefits, or even a detrimental effect due to an increase of cognitive demand for the students when using these environments. In this work, we question if a clear benefit of AR and VR can be robustly measured for a specific education-related task: learning a 3D object. We ran a controlled study in which we compared three interaction techniques. Two techniques are VR-and AR-based; they offer a High Fidelity (HF) virtual reproduction of observing and manipulating physical objects. The third technique is based on a multi-touch tablet and was used as a baseline. We selected a task of 3D object learning as one potentially benefitting from the HF reproduction of object manipulation. The experiment results indicate that VR and AR HF techniques can have a substantial benefit for education as the object was recognized more than 27% faster when learnt using the HF techniques than when using the tablet.

Background The peripheral venous catheter (PVC) is the most frequently used medical device in hospital care to administer intravenous treatment or to take blood samples by introducing a catheter into a vein. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of motor imagery (MI) associated with actual training on the learning of PVC insertion into a simulated venous system.Method: This is a prospective monocentre study in 3rd year medical students. Forty medical students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 20) performing both real practice and MI of PVC insertion or to the control group (n = 20) trained through real practice only. We also recruited a reference group of 20 professional nurses defining the benchmark for a target performance.Results The experimental group learned the PVC insertion faster than the control group in the first learning phase (p

The emergence of dynamic visualizations of three-dimensional (3D) models in anatomy curricula may be an adequate solution for spatial difficulties encountered with traditional static learning, as they provide direct visualization of change throughout the viewpoints. However, little research has explored the interplay between learning material presentation formats, spatial abilities, and anatomical tasks. First, to understand the cognitive challenges a novice learner would be faced with when first exposed to 3D anatomical content, a six-step cognitive task analysis was developed. Following this, an experimental study was conducted to explore how presentation formats (dynamic vs. static visualiza-tions) support learning of functional anatomy, and affect subsequent anatomical tasks derived from the cognitive task analysis. A second aim was to investigate the interplay between spatial abilities (spatial visualization and spatial relation) and presentation formats when the functional anatomy of a 3D scapula and the associated shoulder flexion movement are learned. Findings showed no main effect of the presentation formats on performances, but revealed the predictive influence of spatial visualization and spatial relation abilities on performance. However, an interesting interaction between presentation formats and spatial relation ability for a specific anatomical task was found. This result highlighted the influence of presentation formats when spatial abilities are involved as well as the differentiated influence of spatial abilities on anatomical tasks.

Background Reduced physiological arousal in response to breath-holding affects internal clock processes, leading swimmers to underestimate the time spent under apnea. We investigated whether reduced physiological arousal during static apnea was likely to affect the temporal organization of motor imagery (MI). Methods Fourteen inter-regional to national breath-holding athletes mentally and physically performed two 15 m swimming tasks of identical durations. They performed the two sequences in a counterbalanced order, the first while breathing normally using a scuba, the second under apnea. We assessed MI duration immediately after completion of the corresponding task. Athletes performed MI with and without holding breath. Results MI durations (26.1 s ± 8.22) were significantly shorter than actual durations (29.7 s ± 7.6) without holding breath. Apnea increased MI durations by 10% (± 5%). Heart rate decrease in response to breath-holding correlated with MI durations increase (p

Dans les protocoles experimentaux portant sur l’imagerie motrice, la question de l’evaluation effective du travail mental effectue par les participants demeure une question recurrente pour le chercheur. De meme, le praticien doit pouvoir disposer de methodes lui permettant d’evaluer la qualite de l’imagerie motrice, qu’il soit entraineur et l’utilise a l’amelioration de la performance ou clinicien et en prescrive la pratique pour favoriser le recouvrement des fonctions motrices. Si les evaluations subjectives, faites par les participants, et la passation de questionnaires restent des outils frequemment utilises, on dispose aussi d’indicateurs physiologiques centraux et peripheriques. La neuroimagerie identifie les correlats structuraux et fonctionnels de l’imagerie motrice, mais cette methodologie n’est pas ambulatoire et reste reservee aux protocoles de laboratoire. Les indicateurs peripheriques apportent des signes objectifs du travail mental dont il faut traiter les donnees pour pouvoir les exploiter afin d’evaluer la qualite de l’imagerie. L’objectif de cet article est de presenter les caracteristiques et limites de ces familles methodologiques.

International audience; Mental Rotation (MR) is the ability to form a mental image of a 2D or 3D object turning in space. The relationships with motor process still remain unclear. Inconsistent results were probably due to the use of at least, two different strategies by the participants, i.e. internal or egocentric strategy versus external or visual strategy which resulted in different patterns of cerebral activations (motor region and visual regions, respectively). Does the motor regions activation reflect a motor process required for the resolution of MR problems? Or is it due to the simple planning and execution of a motor response? Is MR ability linked to professional, motor or self-experience in sport? The aim of this article is to review and analyze the main studies involving different methodological paradigms (cerebral imagery, behavioral studies), and using different stimuli (Shepard and Metzler cubes, alphanumeric characters, body parts, geometric drawings) as well as studies comparing internal and external strategies.; La Rotation mentale (RM) est une capacité qui consistè a faire tourner mentalement une image en 2 ou en 3 dimensions. Ses relations avec les processus moteurs restent controversées. Entre stratégie interne oú egocentrique et stratégie externe ou visuelle, entre activation des régions motrices et des régions visuelles, les résultats restent contradictoires. La question de l'activation des régions motrices attestant des processus moteurs nécessairesnécessairesà la résolution desprobì emes de RM, ou simple reflet de la planification et l'exécution d'une réponse motrice n'a pas encore reçu de réponse définitive. On ne sait pas non plus précisément si la capacité de RM est liéè a l'expérience professionnelle, motrice, ou sportive. L'objectif de ce travail est de faire la synthèse des publications présentant des données obtenues par imagerie cérébrale ou des données comportementales (analyse des temps de réponse, par exemple) ou alors impliquant différents stimuli (cubes de Shepard et Metzler, chiffres, lettres, segments corporels, formes géométriques), ou encore différentes stratégies mentales (interne ou externe).

International audience; While the use of motor imagery (the mental representation of an action without overt execution) during actual training sessions is usually recommended, experimental studies examining the effect of physical fatigue on subsequent motor imagery performance are sparse and yielded divergent findings. Here, we investigated whether physical fatigue occurring during an intense sport training session affected motor imagery ability. Twelve swimmers (nine males, mean age 15.5 years) conducted a 45 min physically-fatiguing protocol where they swam from 70% to 100% of their maximal aerobic speed. We tested motor imagery ability immediately before and after fatigue state. Participants randomly imagined performing a swim turn using internal and external visual imagery. Self-reports ratings, imagery times and electrodermal responses, an index of alertness from the autonomic nervous system, were the dependent variables. Self-reports ratings indicated that participants did not encounter difficulty when performing motor imagery after fatigue. However, motor imagery times were significantly shortened during posttest compared to both pretest and actual turn times, thus indicating reduced timing accuracy. Looking at the selective effect of physical fatigue on external visual imagery did not reveal any difference before and after fatigue, whereas significantly shorter imagined times and electrodermal responses (respectively 15% and 48% decrease, p,0.001) were observed during the posttest for internal visual imagery. A significant correlation (r = 0.64; p,0.05) was observed between motor imagery vividness (estimated through imagery questionnaire) and autonomic responses during motor imagery after fatigue. These data support that unlike local muscle fatigue, physical fatigue occurring during intense sport training sessions is likely to affect motor imagery accuracy. These results might be explained by the updating of the internal representation of the motor sequence, due to temporary feedback originating from actual motor practice under fatigue. These findings provide insights to the co-dependent relationship between mental and motor processes.