Functionally specific reorganization in human premotor cortex.
After unilateral stroke, the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) in the intact hemisphere is often more active during movement of an affected limb. Whether this contributes to motor recovery is unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate short-term reorganization in right PMd after transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) disrupted the dominant left PMd, which is specialized for action selection. Even when 1 Hz left PMd TMS had no effect on behavior, there was a compensatory increase in activity in right PMd and connected medial premotor areas. This activity was specific to task periods of action selection as opposed to action execution. Compensatory activation changes were both functionally specific and anatomically specific: the same pattern was not seen after TMS of left sensorimotor cortex. Subsequent TMS of the reorganized right PMd did disrupt performance. Thus, this pattern of functional reorganization has a causal role in preserving behavior after neuronal challenge.
O'Shea
Jacinta
J
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom. jacinta.oshea@psy.ox.ac.uk
Johansen-Berg
Heidi
H
Trief
Danielle
D
Göbel
Silke
S
Rushworth
Matthew F S
MF
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
D010100:Oxygen