title: Microstructure of the superior longitudinal fasciculus predicts stimulation-induced interference with on-line motor control.
abstract: A cortical visuomotor network, comprising the medial intraparietal sulcus (mIPS) and the dorsal premotor area (PMd), encodes the sensorimotor transformations required for the on-line control of reaching movements. How information is transmitted between these two regions and which pathways are involved, are less clear. Here, we use a multimodal approach combining repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate whether structural connectivity in the 'reaching' circuit is associated to variations in the ability to control and update a movement. We induced a transient disruption of the neural processes underlying on-line motor adjustments by applying 1Hz rTMS over the mIPS. After the stimulation protocol, participants globally showed a reduction of the number of corrective trajectories during a reaching task that included unexpected visual perturbations. A voxel-based analysis revealed that participants exhibiting higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the second branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF II) suffered less rTMS-induced behavioral impact. These results indicate that the microstructural features of the white matter bundles within the parieto-frontal 'reaching' circuit play a prominent role when action reprogramming is interfered. Moreover, our study suggests that the structural alignment and cohesion of the white matter tracts might be used as a predictor to characterize the extent of motor impairments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany; LREN & Service of Medical Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Université de Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Borja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Herreros
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Research Biomedical Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Julià L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Amengual
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Research Biomedical Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurtubay-Antolín
authors.affiliation: Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erdmann
authors.affiliation: Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schweikard
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Moliner
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Research Biomedical Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fornells
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. Electronic address: thomas.muente@neuro.uni-luebeck.de.
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Münte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging; On-line motor control; Reaching; Repetitive TMS; Superior longitudinal fasciculus II