@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2008-2630    Iranian Journal of War & Public Health 2016;8(1):41-47

Background
... [1, 2]. It is believed in the consolidation theory that after the learning which is followed by a break, a continuous process consisting of different stages takes place until the memory effects are fully consolidated or stored in the form of some structural or chemical changes [3, 4].
Previous Studies
... [5-7]. Researchers have pointed out that time is an extremely important parameter in the development and consolidation of memory; because consolidation occurs by the passage of time and in the period of detraining skills. Increasing the time delay to a certain extent may lay the plots for the stabilization and enhancement of the memory consolidation process which probably reflects neuroplasticity and deformable changes of skill`s representations in the motor cortex [8]. … [9]
Aim(s)
This study aimed to investigate the effect of different timeouts of exercise easement on the consolidation process based on enhancement of hidden motor memories of disabled athletes and veterans.
Research type
This is an applied and semi-experimental research.
Research society, place and time
This study was carried out on 45 disabled and veterans athlete males with physical-movement problems (with the disability percentage of (35± 5.5) in Yazd during summer, 2015.
Sampling method and number
The samples were chosen based on convenience method and participated voluntarily in the research. These people did not have any neurologic and cognitive disabilities and were regularly trained three times a week. After confirmation of having the inclusion criteria, the patients were randomly divided into three experimental groups (15 people in each group).
Used devices&materials
To place the participants in three groups, demographic data, Goldberg`s General Health Test, Petersburg`s sleep quality, mini–mental state examination test and Wechsler`s Memory Scale (third version) were employed. Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) contains 28 questions in four components of anxiety, depression, social functioning and physical symptoms, its validity has been approved by experts and its reliability has been reported 0.85 to 0.91 using Cronbach's alpha [10]. Petersburg`s sleep quality comprises seven components: an individual`s general description of sleep quality, latency in falling asleep, duration of a good sleep, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, the amount of consumed hypnotic drugs and morning performance, and is measured from zero to 3 scores in each component. Its validity has also been confirmed and the reliability has been reported 0.78 to 0.82 [11]. The Mini–Mental State Examination Test (MMSE) includes components of memory and navigation, attention and concentration, assessment of linguistic skills, and perception of visual-spatial ability, its validity has been confirmed, and its reliability has been reported 0.78 [12]. The validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale, third version (WMS_III) has also been approved by experts and its reliability in indicators has been reported 0.75 to 0.86 [13]. After administrating the above tests, the subjects were randomly put into three groups; group 1) the group with 6 hours of promotion who accomplished the first or chief task (alternative serial reaction time) in the first session and participated in the first task`s retention test after 6 hours; group 2) the group with 24 hours of promotion who accomplished the first or chief task (alternative serial reaction time) in the first session and participated in the first task`s retention test after 24 hours and group 3) the group with 72 hours of promotion who accomplished the first or chief task (alternative serial reaction time) in the first session and participated in the first task`s retention test after 72 hours. There was not any significant difference among the subjects of the three groups in the tests of general variables. In the acquisition phase (learning the skill), subjects received the Alternative Serial Reaction Time Task (ASRTT) which was generated under the researcher`s order and in Sina Behavioral Sciences Research Institute (mental equipment), in a selected 8-item pattern of 1R4R2R3R. This pattern repeated 10 times sequentially in each block, and in 25 training blocks (5 training packs) which every training block contained 88 attempts; the first 8 attempts were omitted without any specific rules and for introducing and warming up, and the total number of the attempts was 2000. This task is the modified serial reaction time task which has been designed on specific software. To ensure the establishment of the hidden motor memory, a pilot study was conducted on 10 people other than subjects of the research; such that the subject sits in front of the computer screen and responds to stimuli with his/her dominant hand. In each trial attempt of this task, four white solid circles appear on the screen and then suddenly one of the circles goes black. From the time one circle gets black (stimulus presentation) until the subject responses to that stimulus by pressing the related key on the computer keyboard, is calculated as the subject's reaction time. An 8-item pattern was used in this study of which four stimuli were presented according to the researcher`s sequence and other four stimuli which were appearing among the pattern stimuli were presented randomly. There was an interval of 120 ml seconds between each trial attempt and at the end each, pack was given a 20-second rest. The acquisition phase lasted about 37 to 40 minutes. To evaluate the consolidation based on improvement in hidden motor memory, subjects of the first, second and third groups participated in the retention test after, 6, 24 and 72 hours after the acquisition stage, respectively. Retention test involved performing a training block (400 attempts) of alternative serial reaction time task which had been administered in the first session (learning the skill). Retention test was accomplished in about 10 minutes [14-17]. At the end of this test, explicit knowledge of the sequence was evaluated as a recognition test through Knowledge Questionnaire. This questionnaire consists of three options that must be answered by the participants. If the subject is proved to have knowledge sequence in this test, he/ she will be excluded from the study. The acquisition session for all the experimental groups was held during 8 to 11 am and the retention test was administered according to the group with a space established for each one. Descriptive statistics including the mean and standard deviation were used to describe the characteristics of the subjects. The time difference of chain reaction between the repeating and random patterns was used as the main analysis. The time of median reactions for every random stage and 80-trial sequence were calculated for each subject and the mean of mid separate sequences for the blocks was measured. Then the time difference of chain reaction between the repeating and random patterns was obtained. To determine the normality of data distribution, Shapiro – Wilk Test was used and for analyzing the data and comparing the performance of experimental groups in the fifth pack of acquisition stage and retention pack, the analysis of two-factor variance with repeated measures in the training packs was applied as was ANOVA to determine the difference between experimental groups in general variables and Bonferroni post hoc test to compare the performance in the experimental groups.
Findings by Text
There was no significant difference in general variables (general health, sleep quality, visual memory, verbal memory, delayed retention, cognitive test, attention and focus, and general memory) among the subjects of the three experimental groups (p>0.05). In the learning skill`s stage, the main effect of the training group was not significant (p=0.085) but the interactive effect of the trial pack and the group (p=0.011), and the main effect of the trial pack was significant (p=0.001). The reduction in the difference of average time of alternative chain reaction in repetitive and random sequences was significant from the first pack to the second, third, fourth and fifth ones, from the second pack to the third, fourth and fifth ones, from the third pack to the fourth and fifth ones, and from the fourth to the fifth pack (p<0.05). Moreover, the subjects` process had improved within the increasing of the number of trial attempts (Table 1). In the retention phase which was conducted to investigate the effect of different timeouts of exercise easement on the consolidation process based on enhancement, the main effect of training group (p=0.08) and the interactive effect of the trial pack and group (p=0.08) was not significant, but the main effect of the training pack (p=0.001) was significant that indicated the establishment of consolidation process based on enhancement in all three experimental groups. While investigating the mean reaction time in three training groups, the experimental group had a better performance with the exercise easement interval of 72 hours (596.95± 36.31) compared to the experimental group with the exercise easement interval of 6 hours (604.56 ±16.51) and of 24 hours (617.60 ± 21.53) and the consolidation process based on enhancement for this group was better than for the other two groups, but this difference was not significant between the groups (p>0.05).
Main comparison to the similar studies
... [18]. The results of this study in the acquisition stage are in line with the findings which showed that with the implementation of the skill in the acquisition phase (skill learning session), the changes in the difference of mean chain reaction time increase and skill acquisition grows [15-17, 19, 20]. The results of this research are consistent with the findings of researchers who have demonstrated that memory consolidation process based on enhancement in chain reaction time task is established at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours and one week intervals of exercise easement [ 17, 19, 21, 22] . ... [23]. However, the results of this study contradicts the findings of researchers who have revealed that memory enhancement occurs in exercise easement intervals of 4 hours and in different periods of exercise easement other than 24 hours [3, 24, 30]. ... [25-31].
Suggestions
Due to the compression of training sessions per week, coaches and exercise programmers are recommended to put the adequate amount of rest between training sessions on the top of the agenda to make it helpful for the disabled athletes and veterans and their success in crucial fields.
Limitations
The participation of male, right-handed athletes was one of the limitations of this study and conducting the similar studies on female, left handed athletes with time intervals different from the ones in this study appears to be necessary.
Conclusions
Establishing time intervals, especially 72 hours, for exercise easement after the training and skill learning stages can lead to enhancement of the consolidation process in hidden motor memory in disabled athletes and veterans.
Acknowledgments
Special regards are addressed to researchers` team, the secretary of Yazd`s Disability Sport Board, all the athletes who have devoted their precious time to this study, my beloved family, and other friends who have supported me.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
Letters of consent were distributed and received for the participation of subjects in this study; besides, subjects` information was stored confidentially. At the end, the results were sent to subjects who were willing to get them via e-mail.
Funding Sources
This study is part of a MA thesis of Allameh Tabatabaei University, Motor Behavior Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science.

TABLES and CHARTS

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