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Brain activation during human finger extension and flexion movements
G H Yue1, J Z Liu, V Siemionow
1Department of Biomedical Engineering/ND20, The Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, USA. yue@bme.ri.ccf.org
Brain Research
|March 10, 2000
Summary
Brain imaging reveals greater cortical activation during thumb extension than flexion movements in humans. This suggests differences in how the central nervous system controls upper limb extension and flexion.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Corticospinal projections to upper-limb extensor and flexor muscles differ in primates.
- The impact of these differing projections on central nervous system control of movement is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in cortical activation patterns during thumb extension versus flexion movements.
- To explore the relationship between corticospinal pathway differences and central motor control.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation in eight human volunteers during thumb extension and flexion.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was employed to record movement-related cortical potentials, confirming fMRI findings.
Main Results:
- While relative muscle activity was similar for extension and flexion, the brain volume activated during extension was significantly larger than during flexion.
- EEG measurements corroborated the fMRI data, indicating greater cortical involvement in extension.
Conclusions:
- Thumb extension movements recruit a larger volume of brain activation compared to flexion movements.
- This heightened brain activity during extension may stem from differential corticospinal and other pathway projections to extensor and flexor motoneuron pools.