scholarly journals Motor sequence learning in the elderly: Differential activity patterns as a function of hand modality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Eudave Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Dominant Hand ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence

Previous research on motor sequence learning (MSL) in the elderly has focused mainly on unilateral tasks, even though bilateral coordination might be impaired in this age group. In this fMRI study, 28 right-handed elderly subjects were recruited. The paradigm consisted of a Novel and a simple Control sequence executed with the right (R), left (L) and both hands (B). Behavioral performance (Accuracy[AC], Inter-tap Interval[ITI]) and associated brain activity were assessed during early learning. Behavioral performance in the Novel task was similar between unilateral conditions whereas in the bimanual condition more errors and slower motor execution were observed. Brain activity increases during learning showed differences between Conditions: R showed increased activity in pre-SMA, basal ganglia and left hippocampus while B showed activity increments mainly in posterior parietal cortex and cerebellum. L did not show any activity modulation during learning. Performance correlates for AC (related to spatial success) and ITI (related to accurate timing) shared a cortico-basal-cerebellar network. However, it was found that the ITI regressor presented additional significant correlations with activity in SMA and basal ganglia in R. The AC regressor showed additional significant correlations with activity in more extended thalamic and cerebellar areas in B. The present findings suggest that, behaviorally, the spatial and temporal components of MSL are impaired in elderly subjects when using both hands. Additionally, differential brain activity patterns were found across hand modalities. The results obtained reveal the existence of a highly specialized network in the dominant hand and identify areas specifically involved in bimanual coordination.

scholarly journals Motor sequence learning in the elderly: differential activity patterns as a function of hand modality

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Eudave ◽  
Maite Aznárez-Sanado ◽  
Elkin O. Luis ◽  
Martín Martínez ◽  
María A. Fernández-Seara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence

scholarly journals Brain Activity and Functional Connectivity Patterns Associated With Fast and Slow Motor Sequence Learning in Late Middle Adulthood

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maite Aznárez-Sanado ◽  
Luis Eudave ◽  
Martín Martínez ◽  
Elkin O. Luis ◽  
Federico Villagra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Middle Adulthood ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Connectivity Patterns

The human brain undergoes structural and functional changes across the lifespan. The study of motor sequence learning in elderly subjects is of particularly interest since previous findings in young adults might not replicate during later stages of adulthood. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study assessed the performance, brain activity and functional connectivity patterns associated with motor sequence learning in late middle adulthood. For this purpose, a total of 25 subjects were evaluated during early stages of learning [i.e., fast learning (FL)]. A subset of these subjects (n = 11) was evaluated after extensive practice of a motor sequence [i.e., slow learning (SL) phase]. As expected, late middle adults improved motor performance from FL to SL. Learning-related brain activity patterns replicated most of the findings reported previously in young subjects except for the lack of hippocampal activity during FL and the involvement of cerebellum during SL. Regarding functional connectivity, precuneus and sensorimotor lobule VI of the cerebellum showed a central role during improvement of novel motor performance. In the sample of subjects evaluated, connectivity between the posterior putamen and parietal and frontal regions was significantly decreased with aging during SL. This age-related connectivity pattern may reflect losses in network efficiency when approaching late adulthood. Altogether, these results may have important applications, for instance, in motor rehabilitation programs.

scholarly journals Behavioral and neural correlates of speech motor sequence learning in stuttering and neurotypical speakers: an fMRI investigation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-86
Author(s):  
Matthew Masapollo ◽  
Jennifer A. Segawa ◽  
Deryk S. Beal ◽  
Jason A. Tourville ◽  
Alfonso Nieto-Castañón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Motor Practice ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Speech Motor

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired production of coordinated articulatory movements needed for fluent speech. It is currently unknown whether these abnormal production characteristics reflect disruptions to brain mechanisms underlying the acquisition and/or execution of speech motor sequences. To dissociate learning and control processes, we used a motor sequence learning paradigm to examine the behavioral and neural correlates of learning to produce novel phoneme sequences in adults who stutter (AWS) and neurotypical controls. Participants intensively practiced producing pseudowords containing non-native consonant clusters (e.g., “gvasf”) over two days. The behavioral results indicated that although the two experimental groups showed comparable learning trajectories, AWS performed significantly worse on the task prior to and after speech motor practice. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the authors compared brain activity during articulation of the practiced words and a set of novel pseudowords (matched in phonetic complexity). FMRI analyses revealed no differences between AWS and controls in cortical or subcortical regions; both groups showed comparable increases in activation in left-lateralized brain areas implicated in phonological working memory and speech motor planning during production of the novel sequences compared to the practiced sequences. Moreover, activation in left-lateralized basal ganglia sites was negatively correlated with in-scanner mean disfluency in AWS. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AWS exhibit no deficit in constructing new speech motor sequences but do show impaired execution of these sequences before and after they have been acquired and consolidated.

scholarly journals Cortical Basal Ganglia Network Interactions During Sequence Learning in Parkinson's Disease

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris D Wang ◽  
Coralie de Hemptinne ◽  
Roee Gilron ◽  
Philip A Starr
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Control Circuits

Abstract INTRODUCTION Learning a motor skill involves organizing a series of complex movements into sequences that can be executed efficiently and reproducibly. Once learned, these sequences generate lasting changes in motor control circuits. Animal studies suggest that the interaction between the motor cortex and basal ganglia is critically involved in motor sequence learning. In particular, the cortical neurons can encode sequence-specific information that is stored subcortically once the sequence is learned. However, how motor sequence learning in humans is not well understood. In disease states like Parkinson disease, where dopaminergic denervation to the striatum affects motor functions and motor learning, understanding the circuit mechanisms of motor learning dysfunction is critical for improving motor rehabilitation. METHODS We study the neural basis of motor sequence learning in 4 Parkinson patients by performing chronic recordings of field potentials from the motor cortex (1 patient) or prefrontal cortex (3 patients) and the pallidum while patients performed the serial reaction time task (SRTT). RESULTS All patients exhibited improvements in motor sequence learning in the SRTT. There is task-modulated increase in theta (4-8 Hz) oscillations during sequence-specific trials in the motor cortex. The pallidum in all patients showed similar increases in theta oscillation at the start of motor sequences. CONCLUSION This is the first illustration of cortical basal ganglia network interactions recorded from the human brain during motor sequence learning. Increases in cortical and subcortical theta oscillations may provide a mechanism for encoding of movement sequences.

scholarly journals Behavioral and neural correlates of speech motor sequence learning in stuttering and neurotypical speakers: an fMRI investigation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Masapollo ◽  
Frank H H Guenther
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Motor Practice ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Speech Motor

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired production of coordinated articulatory movements needed for fluent speech. It is currently unknown whether these abnormal production characteristics reflect disruptions to brain mechanisms underlying the acquisition and/or execution of speech motor sequences. To dissociate learning and control processes, we used a motor sequence learning paradigm to examine the behavioral and neural correlates of learning to produce novel phoneme sequences in adults who stutter (AWS) and neurotypical controls. Participants intensively practiced producing pseudowords containing non-native consonant clusters (e.g., “gvasf”) over two days. The behavioral results indicated that although the two experimental groups showed comparable learning trajectories, AWS performed significantly worse on the task prior to and after speech motor practice. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the authors compared brain activity during articulation of the practiced words and a set of novel pseudowords (matched in phonetic complexity). FMRI analyses revealed no differences between AWS and controls in cortical or subcortical regions; both groups showed comparable increases in activation in left-lateralized brain areas implicated in phonological working memory and speech motor planning during production of the novel sequences compared to the practiced sequences. Moreover, activation in left-lateralized basal ganglia sites was negatively correlated with in-scanner mean disfluency in AWS. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AWS exhibit no deficit in constructing new speech motor sequences but do show impaired execution of these sequences before and after they have been acquired and consolidated.

scholarly journals Distinct basal ganglia territories are engaged in early and advanced motor sequence learning

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (35) ◽  
pp. 12566-12571 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lehericy ◽  
H. Benali ◽  
P.-F. Van de Moortele ◽  
M. Pelegrini-Issac ◽  
T. Waechter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence

The multifaceted nature of the relationship between performance and brain activity in motor sequence learning

NeuroImage ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 694-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Orban ◽  
Philippe Peigneux ◽  
Ovidiu Lungu ◽  
Geneviève Albouy ◽  
Estelle Breton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
The Relationship

Abnormal Basal Ganglia Outflow in Parkinson's Disease Associated with Motor Sequence Learning

NeuroImage ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. S996 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Doyon ◽  
A.M. Owen ◽  
A. Dagher ◽  
H. Chertkow ◽  
A.C. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence

scholarly journals Motor learning deficits in cervical dystonia point to defective basal ganglia circuitry

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Loens ◽  
Julius Verrel ◽  
Vera-Maria Herrmann ◽  
Amrei Kienzle ◽  
Elinor Tzvi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Cervical Dystonia ◽  
Eyeblink Conditioning ◽  
Visuomotor Adaptation ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Learning Deficits

AbstractDystonia is conceptualized as a network disorder involving basal ganglia, thalamus, sensorimotor cortex and the cerebellum. The cerebellum has been implicated in dystonia pathophysiology, but studies testing cerebellar function in dystonia patients have provided equivocal results. This study aimed to further elucidate motor network deficits in cervical dystonia with special interest in the role of the cerebellum. To this end we investigated motor learning tasks, that differ in their dependence on cerebellar and basal ganglia functioning. In 18 cervical dystonia patients and 18 age matched healthy controls we measured implicit motor sequence learning using a 12-item serial reaction time task mostly targeting basal ganglia circuitry and motor adaptation and eyeblink conditioning as markers of cerebellar functioning. ANOVA showed that motor sequence learning was overall impaired in cervical dystonia (p = 0.01). Moreover, unlike healthy controls, patients did not show a learning effect in the first part of the experiment. Visuomotor adaptation and eyeblink conditioning were normal. In conclusion, these data lend support to the notion that motor learning deficits in cervical dystonia relate to basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops rather than being a result of defective cerebellar circuitry.

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