A study performed by researchers from the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, showed that people who view training videos tend to learn the motor skills faster than those who don't.
The study recruited 36 healthy adults and asked them to participate in training sessions over the course of two weeks. All the participants were asked to perform tasks such as writing, using the scissor, typing, using cutlery, playing notes on a piano, and hammering a nail. Half of the group watched videos of other people doing the same tasks, while half of them were shown videos featuring landscapes. After the two weeks, the participants who watched training videos showed an improvement in doing the specified tasks.
The research also found out that those who watched the training videos showed 11 times more improvement that those who did not watch the videos. Furthermore, MRI scans of the people who viewed the training videos showed that the structure of the areas of the brain that controls motor skills was improved.
According to study co-author, Dr. Paulo Preziosa, their findings implicate that videos could be used to help patients who suffered from a stroke regain their motor skills.
"Evidence suggests that this approach is an effective therapeutic intervention for regaining motor function," Preziosa said to Healthday. It might become a good strategy to use along with conventional physical and occupational therapy to help people with motor deficits", he said.
Results of the study also found out that areas of the brain showed an increase in the volume of insula and cuneus which plays in important role, in visual processing and cognitive skills. It also proved how learning a new activity can help in remodeling our brain.
The study will be presented in the American Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia on April 2014.
