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Related Concept Videos

Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
Direct Motor Pathways01:11

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
10:39

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

Structural correlates of skilled performance on a motor sequence task.

Christopher J Steele1, Jan Scholz, Gwenaëlle Douaud

  • 1Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|November 6, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study links brain structure and function to motor sequence learning. Better synchronization performance correlates with white matter integrity in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), while faster learning relates to cerebellar gray matter volume.

Keywords:
diffusion tensor imagingfractional anisotropygray matter volumeindividual differencesmotor sequence performancesuperior longitudinal fasciculus

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Motor sequence performance involves known brain regions, but structural details and fiber pathways are less understood.
  • Few studies integrate multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques with behavioral measures for motor skills.
  • Understanding the structural basis of motor learning is crucial for diagnosing and treating motor deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural brain correlates of skilled motor sequence performance using advanced MRI techniques.
  • To compare structural findings with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in the same participants.
  • To elucidate the relationship between white matter integrity, gray matter volume, and motor learning.

Main Methods:

  • Employed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and probabilistic tractography to analyze white matter pathways.
  • Utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess gray matter volume differences.
  • Correlated diffusion metrics (fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity) and gray matter volume with performance on a temporal motor sequence task (TMST).

Main Results:

  • Final synchronization performance negatively correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter beneath the sensorimotor cortex, linked to radial diffusivity.
  • Tractography identified crossing fibers of the corticospinal tract (CST) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) in this region, with SLF linking relevant cortical areas.
  • Rate of improvement in synchronization positively correlated with gray matter volume in cerebellar lobules HVI and V.

Conclusions:

  • Individual differences in brain structure, particularly SLF integrity and cerebellar gray matter volume, are associated with motor sequence performance and learning.
  • The findings highlight the utility of combining multiple MRI measures (DTI, VBM, fMRI) for a comprehensive understanding of brain structure-function relationships in motor tasks.
  • This research provides a structural basis for understanding skilled motor performance and suggests potential targets for interventions.