Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
09:52
Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Published on: February 23, 2020
Functional connectivity for somatosensory and motor cortex in spastic diplegia
Harold Burton1, Sachin Dixit, Patricia Litkowski
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA. harold@pcg.wustl.edu
Somatosensory & Motor Research
|January 6, 2010
Summary
Individuals with spastic diplegia exhibit altered brain functional connectivity (fcMRI), showing expanded somatomotor networks. This may stem from prenatal white-matter injury impacting neuronal development and connectivity patterns.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Spastic diplegia is often associated with sensorimotor deficits.
- Altered functional connectivity (fcMRI) may underlie these deficits.
- Prenatal white-matter injury is a potential cause of neurological impairments in spastic diplegia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity differences in individuals with spastic diplegia compared to controls.
- To explore the relationship between brain network organization and sensorimotor deficits in spastic diplegia.
- To propose a neurobiological model for altered connectivity in spastic diplegia.
Main Methods:
- Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) was employed to analyze resting-state brain activity.
- Pearson correlations were calculated between seed regions of interest (sROI) and all brain voxels.
- sROIs were strategically placed in somatosensory and dorsal attention areas activated by tactile stimulation.
Main Results:
- Individuals with spastic diplegia demonstrated significantly expanded somatomotor functional networks.
- Expanded networks were observed across somatosensory and motor areas, irrespective of the specific fingertip stimulation focus.
- No significant expansion was found in dorsal attention networks.
Conclusions:
- Altered functional connectivity, specifically expanded somatomotor networks, is characteristic of spastic diplegia.
- Prenatal third-trimester white-matter injury and subsequent damage to subplate neurons are hypothesized to cause these connectivity alterations.
- A model suggests intracortical connections may dominate over diminished thalamocortical inputs due to developmental plasticity, explaining the observed network changes.
More Related Videos
11:31Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
Published on: December 5, 2014
09:42Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface in Rehabilitation of Upper Limb Motor Dysfunction After Stroke
Published on: September 1, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:23Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
01:33Somatosensation
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
01:29Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...