Testosterone modulates multispectral oscillatory activity serving performance of motor sequences in typically...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Hormone Research

Background:

• Motor control development is crucial during youth.
• Brain circuitry maturation is well-studied, but pubertal influences are less understood.
• Testosterone may be a key factor in neural development during puberty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of testosterone on motor control neurophysiology in typically developing youth.
• To examine sex-specific effects of testosterone on brain activity during a motor task.
• To determine if testosterone levels predict neural changes in motor control beyond chronological age.

Main Methods:

• 69 participants (10-17 years old) performed a motor sequencing task.
• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to image neural oscillations.
• Saliva samples assayed for testosterone levels; whole-brain ANCOVAs controlled for age and sex.

Main Results:

• Testosterone showed sex-specific effects: increasing levels correlated with weaker beta oscillations (prefrontal cortex) in males.
• Testosterone linked to weaker alpha oscillations (frontal/parietal regions) in both sexes.
• Testosterone correlated with stronger gamma oscillations (cerebellum) in males only.
• Neural activity in some regions correlated with reaction time.

Conclusions:

• Testosterone significantly impacts motor-related neurophysiology in youth, independent of age.
• These testosterone-driven neural changes may refine motor sequencing abilities during puberty.
• Findings highlight testosterone's critical role in maturing motor circuitry during the pubertal transition.