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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
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Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Published on: February 23, 2020
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Cortical Areas for Planning Sequences before and during Movement.
Giacomo Ariani1,2, Mahdiyar Shahbazi1, Jörn Diedrichsen3,2,4
1Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario N6A3K7, Canada.
Summary
Movement planning involves preplanning and online planning, potentially using distinct brain regions. This study found that dorsal premotor cortex and superior parietal lobule are crucial for complex sequence preparation and execution.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Rapid movement sequences require both preplanning (before movement) and online planning (during movement).
- Understanding the distinct cortical areas involved in these planning phases is essential for motor control research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare preplanning and online planning processes for rapid movement sequences.
- To investigate whether these planning phases recruit different cortical areas.
- To identify brain regions maintaining sequence-specific representations.
Main Methods:
- Human participants performed single-finger and multifinger sequences in a delayed-movement paradigm.
- 7 Tesla functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Multivariate analysis was employed to examine sequence-specific representations.
Main Results:
- Primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1) areas showed preactivation during preparation and temporal summation during production.
- Dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and anterior superior parietal lobule (aSPL) were significantly more active during preparation and production of multifinger sequences.
- Sequence-specific representations were found in PMd and aSPL, remaining stable across preparation and production phases.
Conclusions:
- PMd and aSPL are critical for both pre- and online planning of complex movement sequences.
- These regions maintain stable, sequence-specific representations, likely guiding motor execution.
- While overlapping, distinct contributions of these areas to pre- and online planning may exist.
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