Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sensorimotor Learning and Plasticity: Novel Advances and Future Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Sensorimotor learning is the process by which we acquire and refine our ability to perform tasks that involve both sensory perception and motor control. It consists of learning how to coordinate sensory information (e.g., sight, touch, and proprioception) with motor actions to achieve specific goals or tasks. Sensorimotor learning is essential for functions ranging from basic motor skills like walking or grasping objects to more complex activities like playing a musical instrument or performing sports, and its importance also encompasses cognitive functions like social cognition or action understanding. Furthermore, an impairment in the ability to correctly integrate sensory inputs and motor outputs characterizes different neurological and psychiatric conditions. Nevertheless, despite the vital importance of sensorimotor learning for correct brain functioning, the plastic mechanisms underlying it at a neurophysiological level are still debated and have been underexplored.

This Special Issue aims to present recent and cutting-edge findings providing novel insights into the neurophysiological substrates of sensorimotor plasticity and learning in the human brain.

As a common feature, the works in this Special Issue should explore sensorimotor learning and plasticity to better establish the anatomo-functional underpinnings of these phenomena, integrating different neuroscientific methodologies to deepen their functional (or dysfunctional) mechanisms. These explorations could be from a neurophysiological or cognitive perspective, focusing on both the healthy and the damaged central nervous system. We welcome the submission of studies using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (like transcranial magnetic or transcranial electric stimulation), electroencephalography, and behavioural paradigms. Narrative reviews or meta-analyses investigating the state of the art of this topic are welcomed, too.

Dr. Giacomo Guidali
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sensorimotor learning
• brain plasticity
• cognitive neuroscience
• neurophysiology
• non-invasive brain stimulation
• EEG
• neuromodulation
• motor system
• visual system
• somatosensory system