title: The Neural Basis of Typewriting: A Functional MRI Study.
abstract: To investigate the neural substrate of typewriting Japanese words and to detect the difference between the neural substrate of typewriting and handwriting, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in 16 healthy volunteers. All subjects were skillful touch typists and performed five tasks: a typing task, a writing task, a reading task, and two control tasks. Three brain regions were activated during both the typing and the writing tasks: the left superior parietal lobule, the left supramarginal gyrus, and the left premotor cortex close to Exner's area. Although typing and writing involved common brain regions, direct comparison between the typing and the writing task revealed greater left posteromedial intraparietal cortex activation in the typing task. In addition, activity in the left premotor cortex was more rostral in the typing task than in the writing task. These findings suggest that, although the brain circuits involved in Japanese typewriting are almost the same as those involved in handwriting, there are brain regions that are specific for typewriting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan; Department of Neurology, International University of Health and Welfare, Mita Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, International University of Health and Welfare, Mita Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Research for Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Someya
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroiwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014956:Writing; D055815:Young Adult