There are lots of things we can learn to do almost subconsciously and even pick up after a long time (“like riding a bike”).
Is there anything actually neuromuscular or is this entirely in the brain?
In: Biology
I think “movement memory” would be more accurate. It’s just the memory of the movement and the positioning/state of the body/muscles.
There are many, many types of memory (such as declarative memory i.e. remembering facts or events). Muscle memory is one of them, also known as procedural memory.
How does memory form? It happens when the cells (neurons) that make up your brain are stimulated. The more you stimulate them the more you remember things.
For muscle memory, instead of thinking about something repeatedly to remember it, you perform the action to reinforce the skill as a way of stimulating those cells.
I’m assuming by “neuromuscular” you mean if the muscles themselves “remember” the action? Not so much, it’s what’s going on in the brain. But do keep in mind that voluntary movement occurs when your brain sends signals to muscles via nerves, so neuromuscular isn’t wrong in this sense.
Try brushing your teeth with the other hand. Not as easy. It’s just how used to things you are.
It’s actually more brain than anything.
I work as a CNC Operator, and in this line of work, I have to roll up fiberglass, and assign them the correct designation (2A, 13, 56G, etc.). At first, you’ll be slow, as you’re learning. Then, you start to memorize what everything is, and in time, you could do something without paying complete attention.
Another good example is computer typing. I actually never understood how to fully type without looking at the keyboard, as our class didn’t spend too much time on it. But, the idea is that you could put your fingers on “home row”, the middlemost part of the keyboard, and without much trouble, type out sentences, and even full paragraphs without looking at the keyboard.
Hope this answered your question!
the part pf the brain which muscle memory is formed strengthens the neural pathways that are required for that activiry every time you practise it, not the actual muscles. the strengthen neural pathway slowly weakens the less you complete the activity, but because it was so strong, it is difficult to delete the pathway which is why you are rusty when you go on a bike for the first time in five years, but pick it up quickly again
When you first perform a complex action, for instance learning to ballroom dance, you will have to dedicate your entire attention to making sure you move correctly. With practice, this complex behavior becomes almost automatic, and you can do it easily without having to think much about it. This phenomenon is called “muscle memory” because it almost seems like your muscles know what to do without your brain telling them.
“Muscle memory” is not an accurate term, because your ability to perform these actions automatically still comes from the brain, just a different part. With practice, the portion of your brain which controls your muscles is able to memorize the correct actions, so the part of your brain which deals with conscious thoughts does not have to occupy itself with the task. This way you are free to think about other things consciously, while your muscles are controlled by lower level parts of the brain.
If one does stimulate and practice the same action as said in comments, can that atrophy like any other part of the body? Asking as an example would be i have a hobby with rubiks cubes, not a pro just a hobby. Havent practiced as often as i usually did years ago and it seems ive slowed down, could that correlate to me not exercising those same movements and skillset as much as i did in the past?
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