Journal article
Repeated unilateral handgrip contractions alter functional connectivity and improve contralateral limb response times
Scientific Reports, Vol.13, pp.1-12
2023
PMCID: PMC10119116
PMID: 37081073
Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection
Abstract
In humans, motor learning is underpinned by changes in sensorimotor network functional connectivity (FC). Unilateral contractions increase FC in the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA); areas involved in motor planning and execution of the contralateral hand. Therefore, unilateral contractions are a promising approach to augment motor performance in the contralateral hand. In a within-participant, randomized, cross-over design, 15 right-handed adults had two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sessions, where functional-MRI and MR-Spectroscopic Imaging were acquired before and after repeated right-hand contractions at either 5% or 50% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Before and after scanning, response times (RTs) were determined in both hands. Nine minutes of 50% MVC contractions resulted in decreased handgrip force in the contracting hand, and decreased RTs and increased handgrip force in the contralateral hand. This improved motor performance in the contralateral hand was supported by significant neural changes: increased FC between SMA-SMA and increased FC between right M1 and right Orbitofrontal Cortex. At a neurochemical level, the degree of GABA decline in left M1, left and right SMA correlated with subsequent behavioural improvements in the left-hand. These results support the use of repeated handgrip contractions as a potential modality for improving motor performance in the contralateral hand.
Details
- Title
- Repeated unilateral handgrip contractions alter functional connectivity and improve contralateral limb response times
- Authors
- Justin W Andrushko (Corresponding Author) - University of OxfordJacob M Levenstein (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteCatharina Zich (Author) - University of OxfordEvan C Edmond (Author) - University of OxfordJon Campbell (Author) - University of OxfordWilliam T Clarke (Author) - University of OxfordUzay Emir (Author) - Purdue University West LafayetteJonathan P Farthing (Author) - University of SaskatchewanCharlotte J Stagg (Author) - University of Oxford
- Publication details
- Scientific Reports, Vol.13, pp.1-12
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-023-33106-1
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- PMID
- 37081073; PMC10119116
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99718996802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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