Stanford_Splash @ SJ Academy

1. NeuroMotor Development
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2. Edward Jonathans
Brief Bio - Background
 SJSU Grad
 Kinesiology
 Stanford PCA Trainer - 2002
Software Industry Exec
- Digital Imaging Systems
2003 Clinical Research Study
The effects of computerized timing
training on Parkinson’s Disease

3. NeuroMotor Development
How we learn…
 Adaptations for survival
Neuro-Anatomy
Timing Stuctures
Brain Structures
Affects of Dis-Regulation
Timing Training
applications and clinical outcomes

4. The Ancient Brain
Movement provides our earliest paths
towards learning…
Our daily activities all involve timing:
Listening - Daily Routines - Play -
Movement - Dance - Reading -
Writing - Math - Sports - Attention
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5. The Evolving Brain
Our daily activities all involve timing and
rhythm:
“Music invokes by some of the same neural regions that
language does, but far more than language, music taps into the
primitive brain structures involved with motivation, reward and
emotion. Computational systems in the brain synchronize
neural oscillators with the pulse music and begin to predict
when the next strong beat will occur. As the music unfolds the
brain constantly updates its estimates for when new beats will
occur and takes satisfaction in matching the mental beat with a
real-in-the-world one”.
“Music speeds up and slows down just as the real world does
and our cerebellum finds pleasure in adjusting itself to
stay synchronized”.
Dan Levitin - "This is Your Brain on Music”

6. The Evolved Brain
- ur Brain on Google?
 Discontinue cursive handwriting instruction?
 *avg. male HS student speaks <100 words p/day
but send >200 text p/day [ = 1400 words]
 Speech to text as a preferred communcation
input method?
 Self Navigation w/ out GPS
 Cognitive Journals vs. Twitter/fBook?

7. Neuro-Anatomy
“The millisecond timing system, which is involved in a number
of classes of human behavior (e.g., speech, music, motor
control) and that primarily involves the brain structures of the
cerebellum, basal ganglia, and the dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex
- Buhusi & Meck, 2005; Lewis & Miall, 2006

8. Rhythm and Timing affect the development
and quality of motor movements
 Brain Plasticity  Hemispheric Interaction
 Inhibitory/Excitatory  Inter-hemispheric coupling
facilitation of Motor (bi-lateral coordination)
planning
 Sensory feedback  Attention
“auditory rhythm may offer an essential component of
enhanced sensorimotor control to make
hemiparetic arm training more effective.”
Thaut et al. (2002)

9. The Dis-Regulated Brain
Symptoms of Neuro-Motor delays:
 Language Fluency
 Auditory Processing delays
 Visual tracking / processing speeds
 Difficulty with muti-step problem solving
 Timing and Sleep disregulation
 Sensory integration
 Erratic Socio-Emotional behaviors
- poor impulse control/physically aggressive
 Clumsy/Poor Balance - Low muscle tone
spasticity: verbal-motoric ticks

10. Functional Neuro-Plasticity
By facilitating cortical organization through repetition
and the development of new and established neural
pathways an Interval Timing Training program has the
potential to bridge the brain-body gap and facilitate
permanent functional change.
“Attention, learning and problem solving depend in part on
the ability to plan and sequence actions and ideas. The
Interactive Metronome helps individuals systematically
exercise and often improve basic motor planning and
sequencing capacities” - Stanley L. Greenspan, MD

11. Neuro Motor Assessment Tool
Incorporating IM assessments into existing
assessment repertoire the clinician can
measure timing and pinpoint performance
breakdown areas with greater ease.
 Cognition
 Neural pathways
 Motor control and planning
 Sensory processing such as proprioception

12. Practical Motor Learning
1. Feedback and challenge facilitates
the development of new neural
pathways
2. Repetition and learning are essential
components of neuroplasticity
 “These results indicate that representational map
plasticity is driven by skill acquisition, learning, or
practice of a newly acquired action, but not by
simple repetitive motor activity”
(Butler and Wolf, ’07; Plautz, et al ’00;24 Classen, et al ’9825)

13. Practical Motor Learning
Rhythmic auditory stimuli have an
effect on coordination and
dynamic balance
 “After walking with RAS, there appears to be a
carryover effect that supports the possibility of
motor plasticity in the networks controlling
motor rhythmicity…. Using RAS demonstrates
good potential to improve mobility and reduce
fall risk.”
Hausdorff et al,. 2007

14. Practical Motor Learning
“Feedback increases the rate of improvement,
enhances performance on tasks that are
over learned, and participants report tasks
seem less fatiguing and more interesting
when feedback is provided”
Gilmore, 2001
IM training provides both Intrinsic and Extrinsic
(KR / KP) feedback loops needed for motor
learning…

15. Trigger Access
By placing triggers in specific locations or
interacting with different information, the
clinician can manipulate the learned
responses.
 Trigger placement can isolate certain weak muscle
groups.
 Even with limited movement patients can be engaged.
 Triggers interacting with visual information on cards or
boards facilitate associations and cognitive skills such
as naming, memory and processing speed.
 Multiple trigger access challenges motor planning and
sequencing.
 Trigger placement can elicit visual motor integration
and visual field considerations.

16. Types of Triggers
 The advent of new triggers and the IM Gait
Mate increase the versatility and application
of IM treatment.
 IM Gate Mate is used for cadence, balance and walking.
 Smaller triggers are used for fine motor development
and coordination.
 Triggers with resistance provide a strength
component.. (trigger inside a sponge).
 The size and shape of the triggers can facilitate
different functional positions such as a pen trigger.
 Wireless triggers offer the opportunity for motor
controlled stop type movements and patterns.
 Functional triggers that facilitate practicing specific
skills such as wheelchair mobility, typing and gripping.

17. Body Positioning
Movement activities modified for
success or to challenge their abilities
 Affect on alertness and maintaining body
positions (Side lying, prone, over the ball, sitting,
kneeling, standing, balance boards, cushioning
and postural adjustments
 Attentional challenges by adding environmental
distractions
 Increasing challenge without changing IM settings
[e.g., sport specific movements in vBall, etc…]
 Facilitate the integration of body awareness and
proximal motor control and stability

18. Cognition and Memory
Cognition and memory can be specifically
targeted with IM training
 By focusing on the unaffected side of the student,
we can affect cognitive skills needed for following
direction, problem solving skills, sensory
processing, attention and memory needed for
functional carry over.
 Activities and games that challenge these
systems in addition to performing the IM activities
facilitate multi-tasking ability and the integration
of core functional skills such as math,
recognition, speech, memory and visual
processing such as reading.

19. Software Settings
By manipulating settings such as tempo, visual or
auditory cues and difficulty, we can manipulate
the success or challenge for the student
 Slowing down the tempo for slow mental processing
speed provides time for motor planning and self
efficacy
 Auditory cues facilitate auditory processing , speech
and language development
 Visual only cues facilitate visual processing ability,
visual field deficits and visual attention
 Auto difficulty pushes timing efficiencies

20. NeuroMotor Improvements
“Any motor skill has to be LEARNED and thus challenges the brain as
neural circuits linking the cerebellum, basal ganglia and prefrontal
cortex get humming movements get more precise. With multiple
repetitions you are also creating thicker mylenation around nerve
fibers, which improves the quality and the speed of the signals and in
turn, the circuit efficiency”
- John J. Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School from his book
“Spark - Supercharge your Mental Circuits”