Structural and Functional Cortical Connectivity Mediating Cross Education of Motor Function.
Cross-education (CE) is the process whereby training with one limb leads to subsequent improvement in performance by the opposite untrained limb. We used multimodal neuroimaging in humans to investigate the mediating neural mechanisms by relating quantitative estimates of functional and structural cortical connectivity to individual levels of interlimb transfer. Resting-state (rs)-fMRI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) scans were undertaken before unilateral ballistic wrist flexion training. The rs-fMRI sequence was repeated immediately afterward. The increase in performance of the untrained limb was 83.6% of that observed for the trained limb and significantly greater than that of a control group who undertook no training. Functional connectivity in the resting motor network between right and left supplementary motor areas (SMA) was elevated after training. These changes were not, however, correlated with individual levels of transfer. Analysis of the DWI data using constrained spherical deconvolution-based tractography indicated that fractional anisotropy and apparent fiber density in tracts connecting bilateral SMA were negatively correlated with and predictive of transfer. The findings suggest that interhemispheric interactions between bilateral SMA play an instrumental role in CE and that the structural integrity of the connecting white matter pathways influences the level of transfer.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTStrength or skill training with one limb also brings about improvements in the performance of the opposite, untrained limb. This phenomenon, termed cross-education (CE), has obvious potential for the rehabilitation of functional capacity that has been lost through brain insult or musculoskeletal injury. The neural mechanisms that give rise to CE are, however, poorly understood. We used a combination of neuroimaging methods to investigate the pathways in the human brain that mediate CE. We determined that the supplementary motor area (SMA) plays an important role in the interlimb transfer of performance gains and demonstrate that the quality of the white matter fibers connecting right and left SMA predicts the benefit that an individual derives from CE.
School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN United Kingdom, kathy.ruddy@hest.ethz.ch.|Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.|Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, ETH, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland.
Kathy L
0000-0001-5501-0423
KL
Ruddy
Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584 CX The Netherlands, and.
Alexander
0000-0002-9306-6126
A
Leemans
Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, ETH, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland.|Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, 3000 Belgium.
Daniel G
DG
Woolley
Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, ETH, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland.|Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, 3000 Belgium.
Nicole
0000-0002-3246-9386
N
Wenderoth
School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN United Kingdom.|Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Richard G
0000-0002-1190-2814
RG
Carson
D000328:Adult; D063132:Connectome / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods*
interlimb; motor learning; transfer