Evidence for distinct brain networks in the control of rule-based motor behavior

Abstract

Granek JA, Sergio LE. Evidence for distinct brain networks in the control of rule-based motor behavior.

Prolonged cognitive–motor impairments in children and adolescents with a history of concussion

“…Indeed, recent anatomical studies have found altered diffusion characteristics within white matter tracts in concussed adolescents, younger and older adults with concussion history exactly in those pathways connecting frontal and parietal regions [ 29 , 54–56 ]. Again, these data are in line with our group's findings on the crucial role played by such fronto-parietal networks in integrating thought and action [ 26 , 28 , 32 , 57 ].…”

The effect of concussion history on cognitive-motor integration in elite hockey players

“…Observations of white matter abnormalities reported in retired NHL players [ 36 ], adult female athletes [ 39 ] and youth athletes [ 40 ] could provide an explanation for observations of increased brain activity post-concussion. We postulate that in the present study, where these athletes’ brains have ostensibly recovered from mild injury, there may still be deficits in the connections between areas required to successfully integrate thought and action [ 24–25 , 30 , 41–44 ]. That is, we suggest that our observed behavioral deficits may be related to underlying changes in the frontoparietal networks necessary for the successful integration of thought and action, and likely these cortical networks’ interactions with subcortical brain areas, for example, the cerebellum [ 24 , 29–30 , 41–43 ].…”

A comparison of cognitive-motor integration performance and resting state functional brain network connectivity in female athletes suggests intact motor network and visuomotor skill in those with a concussion history

“…Finally, the cerebellum -responsible for motor coordination, motor learning, and spatial attention (18,52), and often not accounted for in this field of research -also plays an essential role in both standard and non-standard reaching tasks (13,53,54). Increased cerebellar activity has been noted in non-standard compared to standard visuomotor tasks, resulting from the need for corrective movements or possibly due to a role in the actual dissociation of eye and hand (18).…”

“…Of the final components, we identified four a priori-selected resting state fMRI networks: the Default Mode Network (DMN), the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN), the frontoparietal network (FP), and the anterior cerebellar network (31,32) which are additionally known to be involved in CMI tasks (13,18) and commonly impacted by concussion (14,16,33). The group level results from MELODIC were input into a dual regression analysis within FSL that was utilized to backproject spatial maps and individual time series for each component and subject.…”

“…Combining thought and action is a process known as cognitive-motor integration (CMI). CMI is essential for the completion of skilled activities that involve non-standard mappings, which are relationships used when the visual information guiding the motor task does not come from the location of object one is interacting with (12,13). These mappings rely on different neural computations compared to standard, direct mapping (the spatial location of the viewed object is the same as the motor goal) that must incorporate the spatial dissociation of gaze, attention, and overt motor output.…”