Cholinergic modulation of motor sequence learning

The cholinergic system plays a key role in motor function, but whether pharmacological modulation of cholinergic activity affects motor sequence learning is unknown. The acetylcholine recepter antagonist biperiden, an established treatment in movement disorder, reduces attentional modulation, but whether it influences motor sequence learning is not clear. Using a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, we tested thirty healthy young participants and show that biperiden impairs the ability to learn sequential finger movements, accompanied by widespread oscillatory broadband power changes (4-25 Hz) in the motor sequence learning network after receiving biperiden, with greater power in the theta, alpha, and beta bands over ipsilateral motor and bilateral parietal–occipital areas. These findings highlight the role of cholinergic processes in motor sequence learning.Behavioral data (mean normalized learning score, reaction time difference, fatigue) for each participant, depending on condition (biperiden, placebo).Cluster-based permutation test results for the main effect sequence type (repeated, random), condition (biperiden, placebo), and their interaction and corresponding grand-average event-related spectral perturbations.

胆碱能系统（cholinergic system）在运动功能中发挥关键作用，但胆碱能活动的药理学调控是否影响运动序列学习尚不清楚。作为临床公认的运动障碍治疗药物，乙酰胆碱受体拮抗剂（acetylcholine receptor antagonist）比哌立登（biperiden）可减弱注意调控效应，但其对运动序列学习的影响仍不明确。本研究采用随机双盲安慰剂对照交叉设计（randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design），纳入30名健康青年受试者，结果显示比哌立登会损伤受试者的序列手指运动学习能力，伴随给药后运动序列学习网络内广泛的4~25 Hz振荡宽带功率变化，其中同侧运动皮层及双侧顶枕区域的θ、α、β频段功率显著升高。本研究结果凸显了胆碱能过程在运动序列学习中的重要作用。本数据集包含所有受试者的行为学数据（平均标准化学习得分、反应时差异、疲劳程度），并按给药状态分为比哌立登组与安慰剂组；同时包含序列类型（重复序列、随机序列）、给药条件的主效应及二者交互作用的簇基置换检验（cluster-based permutation test）结果，以及对应的总平均事件相关谱扰动（event-related spectral perturbations）数据。