Brain Areas Involved in Interlimb Coordination: A Distributed Network

doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.0892

NeuroImage

Volume 14, Issue 5, November 2001, Pages 947-958

https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.2001.0892 Get rights and content

Abstract

Whereas behavioral studies have made significant contributions toward the identification of the principles governing the coordination of limb movements, little is known about the role of higher brain areas that are involved in interlimb coordination. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to reveal the brain areas activated during the cyclical coordination of ipsilateral wrist and foot movements. Six normal subjects performed five different tasks that were presented in a random order, i.e., isolated flexion-extension movements of the right wrist (WRIST) and right foot (FOOT), cyclical coordination of wrist and foot according to the isodirectional (ISODIR) and nonisodirectional (NON-ISODIR) mode, and rest (REST). All movements were auditory paced at 66 beats/min. During the coordination of both limb segments, a distributed network was identified showing activation levels in the supplementary motor area (SMA), cingulate motor cortex (CMC), premotor cortex (PMC), primary sensorimotor cortex (M1/S1), and cerebellum that exceeded the sum of the activations observed during the isolated limb movements. In addition, coordination of the limb movements in different directions was associated with extra activation of the SMA as compared to movements in the same direction. It is therefore concluded that the SMA is substantially involved in the coordination of the nonhomologous limbs as part of a distributed motor network. Accordingly, the long-standing exclusive association that has been made between this medial frontal area and bimanual (homologous) coordination needs to be abandoned and extended towards other forms of interlimb coordination (nonhomologous).

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Regular ArticleBrain Areas Involved in Interlimb Coordination: A Distributed Network

Abstract

Neurosci. Lett.

Neurosci. Lett.

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

Neuropsychologia

NeuroImage

Neuroscience

Neuroscience

J. Neurol. Sci.

NeuroImage

Neurosci. Res.

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

NeuroImage

Magn. Reson. Imag.

Differential control of in-phase and anti-phase coupling of rhythmic movements of ipsilateral hand and foot

Exp. Brain Res.

Rate dependence of regional cerebral activation during performance of a repetitive motor task: A PET study

J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab.

Supplementary motor area of the monkey's cerebral cortex: Short- and long-term deficits after unilateral ablation and the effects of subsequent callosal section

J. Neurosci.

Cerebellar control of posture and movement

Left-handed mirror writing following right anterior cerebral artery infarction: Evidence for nonmirror transformation of motor programs by right supplementary motor area

Neurology

The functional neuroanatomy of simple and complex sequential finger movements: A PET study

Brain

Regional cerebral blood flow during voluntary arm and hand movements in human subjects

J. Neurophysiol.

Cortical areas and the selection of movement: A study with positron emission tomography

Exp. Brain Res.

Cerebral structures participating in motor preparation in humans: A positron emission tomography study

J. Neurophysiol.

Primary motor cortex is involved in bimanual coordination

Nature

Analysis of functional MRI time-series

Hum. Brain Mapp.

The origin of corticospinal projections form the premotor areas in the frontal lobe

J. Neurosci.

Statistical parametric maps in functional imaging: A general linear approach

Hum. Brain Mapp.

Cerebellum implicated in sensory acquisition and discrimination rather than motor control

Science

The cerebellum: Its role in posture and movement

Human functional anatomy of visually guided finger movements

Brain

Regular Article
Brain Areas Involved in Interlimb Coordination: A Distributed Network