Adaptive spatial alignment and strategic perceptual-motor control.

TLDR

Adaptive spatial alignment of sensorimotor spaces and strategic perceptual‑motor control are distinct processes that coordinate sensorimotor systems. The study investigates whether realignment depends on exposure tasks that evoke control strategies enabling misalignment detection. Realignment occurs when movement is initiated by target location and limb control relies on the visible difference between target and limb, allowing detection of misalignment; if only the difference is coded, misalignment detection is disabled. When both limb and target locations were visible, prism exposure yielded near‑perfect performance but no aftereffects, whereas when the limb was not visible, exposure performance improved slowly but produced substantial aftereffects.

Abstract

When starting limb and target locations were simultaneously visible in a visuomotor task, performance during prism exposure was nearly perfect, but aftereffects were absent. When starting limb location was not visible, accurate exposure performance was slow to develop, but aftereffects were substantial. Adaptive spatial alignment of sensorimotor spaces and strategic perceptual-motor control to coordinate sensorimotor systems are distinct processes. However, realignment is dependent on whether the exposure task evokes control strategies that enable detection of misalignment. If the task can be performed solely by coding the visible difference between limb and target locations, misalignment detection is disabled. If movement is initiated by target location and then the limb is controlled by the visible difference between target and limb, the discordance between initialized and terminal locations enables misalignment detection and realignment.