Functional and Structural Properties of Interhemispheric Interaction between Bilateral Precentral Hand Motor Regions...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Neuroplasticity

Background:

• Long-term motor training induces brain plasticity.
• Understanding specific movement training effects on neural circuitry is key to motor plasticity mechanisms.
• Wheelchair racing demands bilateral upper limb synchronization.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate functional and structural brain changes in a professional wheelchair racer.
• Compare interhemispheric interactions in the central motor system between elite athletes and controls.
• Examine how specialized training impacts neural circuitry.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) were used.
• Data collected from a top Paralympian wheelchair racer, other paraplegic athletes, and able-bodied controls.
• Analysis focused on brain activation, functional connectivity, and white matter integrity.

Main Results:

• The elite athlete showed bilateral precentral hand area activation and increased functional connectivity during a unimanual task.
• Control and other paraplegic participants exhibited contralateral activation and ipsilateral deactivation.
• The elite athlete displayed reduced mean diffusivity in the transcallosal pathway connecting motor regions.

Conclusions:

• Long-term, synchronized upper-limb training may lead to bilateral recruitment of motor cortex areas.
• This bilateral recruitment can alter the structural circuitry of interhemispheric communication.
• The study highlights the remarkable adaptability of the human brain to specialized motor demands.