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Updated: May 16, 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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Dissociable Causal Roles of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Primary Motor Cortex over the Course of Motor Skill
Quynh N Nguyen1, Katherine J Michon1, Michael Vesia2
1Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.
Summary
Motor skill learning involves distinct brain regions. While the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is crucial for novices, its role evolves with expertise, challenging existing models of motor control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Motor Control
Background:
- Established models suggest motor learning shifts from effortful, attention-demanding control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC) to automatic, effortless performance (primary motor cortex - M1).
- The precise dynamics of brain region involvement during the transition from novice to expert remain unclear, partly due to limited training durations and reliance on correlative methods in prior studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal roles of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and primary motor cortex (M1) in motor skill learning over an extended period.
- To examine how the importance of these brain regions changes as individuals progress from novice to expert skill levels.
Main Methods:
- Human participants (both sexes) underwent a discrete motor sequencing task training for 6 weeks.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was used to transiently disrupt activity in the DLPFC and M1 immediately prior to task performance at varying expertise levels.
Main Results:
- DLPFC disruption caused greater deficits in novice skills, while M1 disruption caused greater deficits as training progressed.
- Performance deficits were observed following prefrontal disruption at all training levels, indicating a persistent role for the DLPFC.
- Results confirm the dissociable importance of DLPFC and M1, with their roles evolving throughout the learning process.
Conclusions:
- The findings challenge existing models by demonstrating an evolving, rather than strictly diminishing, role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) throughout motor skill acquisition.
- Both DLPFC and M1 play critical, yet distinct and dynamically changing, causal roles in motor learning.
- Extended training reveals a continuous involvement of prefrontal cortex in motor skill performance across expertise levels.
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