title: Quantitative analysis of asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas during sequential finger movement.
abstract: Brain asymmetry is a phenomenon well known for handedness and has been studied in motor cortices. However, few quantitative studies on asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas have been conducted. In this study, we systematically investigated asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas during sequential finger movement by quantitatively analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses. The norm of BOLD signal percentage of change was introduced to quantitatively measure the BOLD signal intensity change difference between the left and right motor areas. The results of the data collected from six subjects show that the norm of BOLD signal percentage of change in the right motor area is higher than that in the left motor area for two-hand movement (P=.0059) and single-hand movement (P=.0279) with right-handedness. These results from fMRI show the asymmetry of motor areas and may suggest that the left hemisphere motor area comes into being as an adaptation system that needs few neuron cells only to finish any movement task for right-handedness. The activation intensity in the left motor area is reduced with normal right finger movement. The activation intensity in the right motor area is obviously higher than that in the left motor area.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology/School of Mathematics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Huafu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Dezhong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Jia-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*