Cognitive control affects motor learning through local variations in GABA within the primary motor cortex
Abstract The primary motor cortex (M1) is crucial for motor learning; however, its interaction with other brain areas during motor learning remains unclear. We hypothesized that the fronto-parietal execution network (FPN) provides learning-related information critical for the flexible cognitive cont...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/e2d06f850a484b3aa7728d38baecdf19 |
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| Summary: | Abstract The primary motor cortex (M1) is crucial for motor learning; however, its interaction with other brain areas during motor learning remains unclear. We hypothesized that the fronto-parietal execution network (FPN) provides learning-related information critical for the flexible cognitive control that is required for practice. We assessed network-level changes during sequential finger tapping learning under speed pressure by combining magnetic resonance spectroscopy and task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. There was a motor learning-related increase in preparatory activity in the fronto-parietal regions, including the right M1, overlapping the FPN and sensorimotor network (SMN). Learning-related increases in M1-seeded functional connectivity with the FPN, but not the SMN, were associated with decreased GABA/glutamate ratio in the M1, which were more prominent in the parietal than the frontal region. A decrease in the GABA/glutamate ratio in the right M1 was positively correlated with improvements in task performance (p = 0.042). Our findings indicate that motor learning driven by cognitive control is associated with local variations in the GABA/glutamate ratio in the M1 that reflects remote connectivity with the FPN, representing network-level motor sequence learning formations. |
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