Have you ever wondered whether practice really helps you get better at something? In this experiment, you can measure for yourself how much practice helps you to memorize movement sequences better.
You have different types of memory, and each is processed by a different part of the brain. When you practise something often, certain parts of your brain become active. Such brain areas are, for example, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, which is responsible for learning movement sequences. Another part, the hippocampus, is important for conscious memory, such as remembering our last vacation. Sometimes people don’t remember exactly how they learned a movement (for example, riding a bike or swimming). But they can still perform the movement and even improve if they practise more.
This test is technically known as the “mirror-drawing test” and is actually used in memory research. The researcher Brenda Miller carried out this test with a famous patient named Henry Molayson. A part of his brain, the hippocampus, was removed. With practice, Henry got better and better at mirror drawing – but he couldn’t remember ever having practiced! He was surprised each time at how good he was. This experiment showed that there are different types of memory that are stored in different parts of the brain.
Circle all the places where you have touched the edge of the star. Count how many times this has happened – this is the amountof mistakes. Write your results in the diagrams.
When you learn through repetition, the connections between the nerve cells in your brain change – this is called neuronal plasticity.
At the ISTA, the Jonas group is researching exactly how this works. They are investigating how nerve cells in the hippocampus transmit signals, using tiny glass electrodes and special microscopy techniques to visualize even the smallest changes in the brain.
