Crossmodal encoding of motor sequence memories

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to specific auditory sequences could lead to the crossmodal induction of new motor memories. Twenty young, healthy participants memorized a melody without moving. Each tone in the memorized melody had previously been associated with a particular finger movement. For ten of the participants, the contour of the melody memorized was congruent to a subsequently performed, but never practiced, finger movement sequence (C group, n = 10). For the other ten participants, the melody memorized was incongruent to the subsequent finger movement sequence (InC group, n = 10). Results showed faster performance of the movement sequence in the C group than in the InC group. This difference in motor performance was most pronounced 6 h after melody learning and then dissipated over 30 days. These results provide evidence of a specific, crossmodal encoding of a movement sequence representation through an auditory sequence with the effect on motor performance lasting for several hours. The findings of this study are significant, as the formation of new motor memories through exposure to auditory stimuli may be useful in rehabilitation settings where the initial encoding of motor memories through physical training is disrupted.