Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-2-14
pubmed:abstractText
People vary in their ability to learn new motor skills. We hypothesize that between-subject variability in brain structure and function can explain differences in learning. We use brain functional and structural MRI methods to characterize such neural correlates of individual variations in motor learning. Healthy subjects applied isometric grip force of varying magnitudes with their right hands cued visually to generate smoothly-varying pressures following a regular pattern. We tested whether individual variations in motor learning were associated with anatomically colocalized variations in magnitude of functional MRI (fMRI) signal or in MRI differences related to white and grey matter microstructure. We found that individual motor learning was correlated with greater functional activation in the prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices, as well as in the basal ganglia and cerebellum. Structural MRI correlates were found in the premotor cortex [for fractional anisotropy (FA)] and in the cerebellum [for both grey matter density and FA]. The cerebellar microstructural differences were anatomically colocalized with fMRI correlates of learning. This study thus suggests that variations across the population in the function and structure of specific brain regions for motor control explain some of the individual differences in skill learning. This strengthens the notion that brain structure determines some limits to cognitive function even in a healthy population. Along with evidence from pathology suggesting a role for these regions in spontaneous motor recovery, our results also highlight potential targets for therapeutic interventions designed to maximize plasticity for recovery of similar visuomotor skills after brain injury.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
1097-0193
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
32
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
494-508
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-11-4
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Brain Mapping, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Female, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Individuality, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Learning, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Magnetic Resonance Imaging, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Male, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Motor Cortex, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Motor Skills, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Neuropsychological Tests, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Oxygen, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Photic Stimulation, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Principal Component Analysis, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Reaction Time, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Rest, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Statistics as Topic, pubmed-meshheading:20533562-Young Adult
pubmed:year
2011
pubmed:articleTitle
Structural and functional bases for individual differences in motor learning.
pubmed:affiliation
Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. valentt@fmrib.ox.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't