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Explaining Individual Differences in Motor Behavior by Intrinsic Functional Connectivity and Corticospinal
Jasmine Herszage1, Eran Dayan2, Haggai Sharon3,4
1School of Psychological Sciences - Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|March 3, 2020
Summary
Resting brain connectivity, specifically between the motor cortex and supplementary motor area, predicts individual motor performance. This finding highlights the potential of resting neural markers for assessing motor abilities and rehabilitation outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Individual differences in motor performance are substantial.
- These differences are linked to innate motor abilities and underlying neural signatures.
- Resting-state neural measurements may capture these individual variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if resting motor-system functional connectivity and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) can predict motor performance.
- To investigate the neural basis of individual differences in motor skills.
- To explore the utility of resting neural markers for predicting task performance.
Main Methods:
- Acquired structural and resting-state fMRI scans from 20 healthy subjects.
- Measured motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex (M1).
- Assessed finger-tapping task performance using the non-dominant hand.
Main Results:
- Resting-state functional connectivity between the contralateral M1 and the supplementary motor area (SMA) significantly predicted motor task performance.
- Individuals with stronger M1-SMA resting connectivity showed better motor performance.
- Corticospinal excitability (MEPs) did not improve or alter the predictive power of M1-SMA connectivity.
Conclusions:
- Motor behavior can be predicted from neural measurements taken at rest, prior to task execution.
- Resting functional connectivity, particularly M1-SMA, is a key neural marker for motor performance.
- These findings offer potential for identifying rehabilitation success after neurological injury.
Keywords:
excitabilityfunctional connectivityindividual differencesmotor skillmotor-evoked-potentialstranscranial magnetic stimulationMore Related Videos
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