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Neuronal Substrates Underlying Performance Variability in Well-Trained Skillful Motor Task in Humans
Nobuaki Mizuguchi1, Shintaro Uehara2, Satoshi Hirose1
1Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Neural Plasticity
|August 13, 2016
Summary
Even skilled motor tasks show performance fluctuations. Brain activity in the frontoparietocerebellar network, particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, is linked to this variability and can be modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Motor performance exhibits trial-by-trial variability even in highly trained individuals.
- Understanding the neural basis of this fluctuation is crucial for motor skill research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the neural substrates associated with trial-by-trial performance fluctuations in a well-trained motor skill.
- To investigate the causal role of specific brain regions in motor performance variability using neuromodulation.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan brain activity during a sequential finger-tapping task.
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to assess its impact on task performance.
Main Results:
- Activity in the frontoparietocerebellar network, including bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and left cerebellum, negatively correlated with task performance.
- Anodal tDCS to the right DLPFC led to a deterioration in task performance, indicating a causal link.
Conclusions:
- Fluctuations in brain activity within the nonmotor frontoparietocerebellar network contribute to performance variability in well-trained motor skills.
- Neuromodulation techniques like tDCS can influence motor task performance, highlighting the role of targeted brain regions.
