Biomaterial Database

Suppression of ipsilateral motor cortex facilitates motor skill learning. 2009

Masahito Kobayashi, and Hugo Théoret, and Alvaro Pascual-Leone

Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

The primary motor cortex (M1) plays a critical role in early aspects of motor skill learning. Given the notion of inter-hemispheric competition, unilateral disruption of M1 may increase excitability of the unaffected motor cortex and thus improve motor learning with the ipsilateral hand. We applied slow-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) before the initiation of practice of a simple motor skill. Participants were randomly divided into three stimulation groups: (i) ipsilateral M1; (ii) contralateral M1; and (iii) Cz (control site). The mean execution time and error rate were recorded in four sessions distributed over 2 days. Disruption of M1 with rTMS slowed down skill acquisition with the contralateral hand, albeit non significantly, but paradoxically enhanced learning with the ipsilateral hand. This was evidenced by a significant decrease of execution time at the end of day 1 in the group that received rTMS over the ipsilateral M1 compared with both control groups (Cz and contralateral M1 stimulation). This supports the notion of inter-hemispheric competition and provides novel insights that may be applicable to neurorehabilitation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007839	Functional Laterality	Behavioral manifestations of cerebral dominance in which there is preferential use and superior functioning of either the left or the right side, as in the preferred use of the right hand or right foot.	Ambidexterity,Behavioral Laterality,Handedness,Laterality of Motor Control,Mirror Writing,Laterality, Behavioral,Laterality, Functional,Mirror Writings,Motor Control Laterality,Writing, Mirror,Writings, Mirror
D007858	Learning	Relatively permanent change in behavior that is the result of past experience or practice. The concept includes the acquisition of knowledge.	Phenomenography
D008297	Male		Males
D009044	Motor Cortex	Area of the FRONTAL LOBE concerned with primary motor control located in the dorsal PRECENTRAL GYRUS immediately anterior to the central sulcus. It is comprised of three areas: the primary motor cortex located on the anterior paracentral lobule on the medial surface of the brain; the premotor cortex located anterior to the primary motor cortex; and the supplementary motor area located on the midline surface of the hemisphere anterior to the primary motor cortex.	Brodmann Area 4,Brodmann Area 6,Brodmann's Area 4,Brodmann's Area 6,Premotor Cortex and Supplementary Motor Cortex,Premotor and Supplementary Motor Cortices,Anterior Central Gyrus,Gyrus Precentralis,Motor Area,Motor Strip,Precentral Gyrus,Precentral Motor Area,Precentral Motor Cortex,Premotor Area,Premotor Cortex,Primary Motor Area,Primary Motor Cortex,Secondary Motor Areas,Secondary Motor Cortex,Somatic Motor Areas,Somatomotor Areas,Supplementary Motor Area,Area 4, Brodmann,Area 4, Brodmann's,Area 6, Brodmann,Area 6, Brodmann's,Area, Motor,Area, Precentral Motor,Area, Premotor,Area, Primary Motor,Area, Secondary Motor,Area, Somatic Motor,Area, Somatomotor,Area, Supplementary Motor,Brodmann's Area 6s,Brodmanns Area 4,Brodmanns Area 6,Central Gyrus, Anterior,Cortex, Motor,Cortex, Precentral Motor,Cortex, Premotor,Cortex, Primary Motor,Cortex, Secondary Motor,Cortices, Secondary Motor,Gyrus, Anterior Central,Gyrus, Precentral,Motor Area, Precentral,Motor Area, Primary,Motor Area, Secondary,Motor Area, Somatic,Motor Areas,Motor Cortex, Precentral,Motor Cortex, Primary,Motor Cortex, Secondary,Motor Strips,Precentral Motor Areas,Precentral Motor Cortices,Premotor Areas,Primary Motor Areas,Primary Motor Cortices,Secondary Motor Area,Secondary Motor Cortices,Somatic Motor Area,Somatomotor Area,Supplementary Motor Areas
D009048	Motor Skills	Performance of complex motor acts.	Motor Skill,Skill, Motor,Skills, Motor
D009433	Neural Inhibition	The function of opposing or restraining the excitation of neurons or their target excitable cells.	Inhibition, Neural
D005260	Female		Females
D006225	Hand	The distal part of the arm beyond the wrist in humans and primates, that includes the palm, fingers, and thumb.	Hands
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults