title: Bilateral transfer phenomenon: A functional magnetic resonance imaging pilot study of healthy subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The bilateral transfer of a motor skill is a physiological phenomenon: the development of a motor skill with one hand can trigger the development of the same ability of the other hand.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to verify whether bilateral transfer is associated with a specific brain activation pattern using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The motor task was implemented as the execution of the Nine Hole Peg Test. Fifteen healthy subjects (10 right-handers and five left-handers) underwent two identical fMRI runs performing the motor task with the non-dominant hand. Between the first and the second run, each subject was intensively trained for five minutes to perform the same motor task with the dominant hand.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing the two functional scans across the pool of subjects, a change of the motor activation pattern was observed. In particular, we observed, in the second run, a change in the activation pattern both in the cerebellum and in the cerebral cortex. We found activations in cortical areas involved in somatosensory integration, areas involved in procedural memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows, in a small group of healthy subjects, the modification of the fMRI activation pathway of a motor task performed by the non-dominant hand after intensive exercise performing the same task with the dominant hand.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, San Carlo Borromeo Hospital, Italy uggetti.carla@asst-santipaolocarlo.it.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Uggetti
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation, San Carlo Borromeo Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ausenda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, San Carlo Borromeo Hospital, Italy Scuoli Specializzazone in Radiodiagnostica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Squarza
authors.affiliation: Philips Healthcare, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cadioli
authors.affiliation: Scuoli Specializzazone in Medicina Physica e Riabilitativa, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grimoldi
authors.affiliation: Scuoli Specializzazone in Medicina Physica e Riabilitativa, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cerri
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, San Carlo Borromeo Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cariati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Functional magnetic resonance imaging; bilateral transfer; motor skills