Upregulation of cortico-cerebellar functional connectivity after motor learning

Abstract

Interactions between the cerebellum and primary motor cortex are crucial for the acquisition of new motor skills. Recent neuroimaging studies indicate that learning motor skills is associated with subsequent modulation of resting-state functional connectivity in the cerebellar and cerebral cortices. The neuronal processes underlying the motor-learning induced plasticity are not well understood. Here, we investigate changes in functional connectivity in source-reconstructed electroencephalography (EEG) following the performance of a single session of a dynamic force task in twenty young adults. Source activity was reconstructed in 112 regions of interest (ROIs) and the functional connectivity between all ROIs was estimated using imaginary part of the coherence. Significant changes in resting-state connectivity were assessed using partial least squares (PLS). We found that subjects adapted their motor performance during the training session and showed improved accuracy but with slower movement times. A number of connections were significantly upregulated after motor training, principally involving connections within the cerebellum and between the cerebellum and motor cortex. Increased connectivity was confined to specific frequency ranges in the mu and beta bands. Post-hoc analysis of the phase spectra of these cerebellar and corticocerebellar connections revealed an increased phase-lag between motor cortical and cerebellar activity following motor practice. These findings show a reorganization of intrinsic corticocerebellar connectivity related to motor adaption and demonstrate the potential of EEG connectivity analysis in source-space to reveal the neuronal processes that underpin neural plasticity.

Brain dynamics of post‐task resting state are influenced by expertise: Insights from baseball players

“…Expertise effects in motor learning were also revealed in alpha power-BOLD correlations between motor regions and cerebellum. Recently, Mehrkanoon et al [2016] used a motor learning task with EEG to perform a functional connectivity analysis on cortical sources. They showed that increases in functional connectivity between motor regions and cerebellum in the alpha band after motor learning.…”

“…As an example, baseball players are exceedingly good at deciding whether to swing at a pitch, given a split second to observe a baseball's trajectory, spin, and speed. During this split second decision, there is little time for explicit decision-making; instead, the ability to hit a baseball relies on largely implicit mechanis ms that must link perception to action as a fast perceptual decision (Muraskin, et al, in press; Muraskin, et al, 2015; Nakamoto and Mori, 2008; Radlo, et al, 2001). This process is largely dependent on the efficiency of globally distributed networks throughout the brain (Forstmann, et al, 2010; Heekeren, et al, 2004); however, precisely which functional and structural components of these networks foster expert level performance remains a mystery.…”

“…We recruited Division 1 collegiate baseball players as an expert group as well as a matched control group, and we perform a seed-based connectivity analysis. We use seeds in right and left supplementary motor area (SMA) regions, including the preSMA, since we have previously shown in an EEG-only study (Muraskin, et al, 2015) and during the task portion of this dataset (Muraskin, et al, in press) that task-related differences between baseball players and controls were found in the SMA, and interestingly not in other areas associated with Go/No-Go tasks. A whole brain analysis with respect to these seed regions was performed to investigate group differences in the post-task resting state that may reflect expertise effects with respect to motor learning, modulatory attention, and cognitive processing related to motor inhibition.…”

Skill acquisition increases myelination and strengthens functional connectivity in the sensorimotor circuit of the adult rat

“…Increases in strength in the fronto-parietal network and the cerebellum network after 11 minutes of motor learning have also been detected 36 . This is further supported by EEG evidence showing increased resting-state connectivity within the cerebellum and between the cerebellum and motor cortex, after training in a force task 37 .…”

Mining Within-Trial Oscillatory Brain Dynamics to Address the Variability of Optimized Spatial Filters

“…Accordingly, Bigdely-Shamlo et al showed that it might be beneficial to additionally consider 3D dipole locations for clustering, which result from a source reconstruction step [22]. We agree on this view, as specifically from a clinical perspective knowledge about functional brain regions could provide added value [43]. However, source reconstruction comes at a price, as results are sensitive to initial assumptions and raw signal quality, among others [44].…”