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Published on: September 12, 2012
The cortical effect of clapping in the human brain: A functional MRI study
Min Ji Kim1, Ji Heon Hong, Sung Ho Jang
1College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Taegu, Republic of Korea.
Neurorehabilitation
|March 31, 2011
Summary
Clapping significantly activates brain regions like the primary sensori-motor cortex more than other motor tasks. This study suggests clapping is an effective method for brain stimulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Functional MRI (fMRI) has extensively studied cortical activation from external stimuli.
- However, the specific cortical effects of clapping have not been investigated using fMRI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cortical activation patterns associated with clapping using fMRI.
- To compare the brain's response to clapping with other motor tasks in healthy individuals.
Main Methods:
- fMRI scans were conducted on 14 healthy volunteers using a 1.5-T Philips Gyroscan Intera.
- Participants performed three motor tasks: clapping, grasp-release movements, and sequential finger opposition.
- Regions of interest included the primary sensori-motor cortex (SM1), supplementary motor cortex (SMA), and premotor cortex (PMC).
Main Results:
- Clapping demonstrated the highest number of activated voxels across all investigated regions of interest (ROIs).
- The primary sensori-motor cortex (SM1) showed the most significant activation during clapping.
- The premotor cortex (PMC) exhibited greater activation during sequential finger opposition compared to clapping.
Conclusions:
- Clapping elicits significant cortical activation, particularly in the SM1, surpassing other tested motor tasks.
- The findings suggest that clapping can be considered an effective method for stimulating the brain.
