MOTOR LEARNING AFTER RECOVERY FROM HEMIPARESIS

Twenty patients who had almost completely recovered from hemiparesis f ollowing unilateral cerebrovascular accident and 16 control subjects h ad to perform motor learning tasks including a three-dimensional motor problem and two standard precision tests. The ability of hemiparetic patients to solve simple spatial-motor problems and to gain by trainin g was preserved with limitations concerning high precision control. Ho wever, hemiparetic patients had a higher demand for time and correctio ns, as well as a reduced consistency of performance. Thus recovery fro m hemiparesis was accompanied by reduced skillfulness and automaticity of motor control.