Relationships between bilateral tapping skills and brain gray matter volumes: a voxel-based morphometry study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Bilateral hand movements engage multiple brain regions.
• The relationship between gray matter (GM) volume and bilateral hand movement proficiency is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between finger-tapping skills using both hands and gray matter volume.
• To identify potential neuroanatomical correlates of bimanual coordination.

Main Methods:

• 61 healthy adults underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
• Participants performed an in-phase and antiphase finger-tapping task.
• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to analyze brain GM volume in relation to task performance.

Main Results:

• A significant negative correlation was found between the antiphase condition's movement similarity index and GM volume.
• Greater GM volume in the left cingulate motor cortex correlated with smoother antiphase bilateral hand movements.

Conclusions:

• Increased gray matter volume in the left cingulate motor cortex may be a neurophysiological indicator of skilled antiphase bilateral hand movement.
• This finding sheds light on the neural basis of bimanual coordination.