Relating brain function to cognitive-visuomotor integration performance in working-aged adults with persisting...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Everyday tasks often involve indirect environmental interaction, requiring cognitive-motor integration (CMI) to map perceived goals to movements.
• Previous research indicates concussion can impair CMI by affecting brain networks in athletes.
• The impact of persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) on CMI in working-aged adults remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between PPCS, brain structure/function, and visuomotor performance in working-aged adults.
• To explore how CMI is affected by PPCS, dizziness, and neural network integrity.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-two individuals with PPCS performed direct and non-standard visuomotor tasks.
• Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), cortical thickness, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were used to assess brain network function, structural integrity, and white matter tracts.
• Relationships between PPCS, dizziness, and neuroimaging metrics were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Reduced cortical thickness in parietal regions correlated with dizziness and impaired non-standard visuomotor performance.
• Increased PPCS severity was associated with hyperconnectivity in several brain networks (visual, sensorimotor, frontoparietal, dorsal attention).
• Lower white matter integrity was linked to poorer CMI, increased PPCS severity, and dizziness.

Conclusions:

• PPCS impacts visuomotor performance through alterations in brain structure and function.
• Findings highlight the neural underpinnings of impaired CMI in individuals with persistent concussion symptoms.
• This study characterizes the structural and functional brain changes associated with PPCS and visuomotor deficits.