Washington, July 25 - 'Practice makes a man perfect' is the fundamental principle followed while struggling to learn a new motor skill -- be it riding a bike or developing a killer backhand in tennis.

Research now reveals that the brain can also achieve this motor memory with a prosthetic device, providing hope that physically disabled people can one day master control of artificial limbs with greater ease.

In this study, macaque monkeys used brain signals and learned how to move a computer cursor to various targets.

Researchers concluded that the brain could develop a mental map to achieve the task with high proficiency, much like a driver sticks to a given route commuting to work.

The study, conducted by University of California-Berkeley (UC-B) scientists, addresses a fundamental question about whether the brain can establish a stable, neural map of a motor task to make control of an artificial limb more intuitive.