The majority of humans exhibit a preference to use one hand over the other for most manual tasks, and are typically left- or right-handed. This preference is highly advantageous, permitting skilled, precise, and coordinated movements for critical behaviours. There are instances, however, where a preference on the dominant hand may be maladaptive. For instance, following an injury which impairs the use of the non-dominant hand, patients can persist in the repetitive use of their dominant effector and diminish the rehabilitative potential of the injured limb. Similarly, patients may fail to effectively compensate with the non-dominant effector following an acquired injury affecting their dominant hand. The reluctance to employ the non-dominant hand for action has meaningful behavioural and neurological consequences, and thus establishes a requirement for purposeful interventions promoting its use. This project aims to explore the ways in which active selection of the non-dominant hand can be promoted.
In this project, we will leverage implicit reinforcement strategies to increase the use of the non-dominant hand in a reaching task. We hypothesize that reinforcing actions performed by the non-dominant hand will increase active selection of the non-dominant effector, with effects outlasting the intervention period.
Promoting the use of the non-dominant hand could provide some major rehabilitative benefits. In individuals in which the non-dominant effector is injured, promoting the active selection of the injured limb could improve hand function necessary for important daily activities. Concerning individuals who’s dominant hand use may be inhibited, active selection of the non-dominant hand may stimulate neuroplasticity, thus facilitating skill transfer from the non-dominant to dominant hand.