Open AccessNeural mechanism and heritability of complex motor sequence and audiovisual integration: A healthy twin study
Author(s) -
Li Zhi,
Huang Jia,
Xu Ting,
Wang Ya,
Li Ke,
Zeng YaWei,
Lui Simon S. Y.,
Cheung Eric F. C.,
Jin Zhen,
Dazzan Paola,
Glahn David C.,
Chan Raymond C. K.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.23935
Subject(s) - precentral gyrus , neuroscience , motor coordination , supplementary motor area , postcentral gyrus , psychology , thalamus , motor control , cerebellum , functional magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology
Complex motor sequencing and sensory integration are two key items in scales assessing neurological soft signs. However, the underlying neural mechanism and heritability of these two functions is not known. Using a healthy twin design, we adopted two functional brain imaging tasks focusing on fist‐edge‐palm (FEP) complex motor sequence and audiovisual integration (AVI). Fifty‐six monozygotic twins and 56 dizygotic twins were recruited in this study. The pre‐ and postcentral, temporal and parietal gyri, the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum were activated during the FEP motor sequence, whereas the precentral, temporal, and fusiform gyri, the thalamus, and the caudate were activated during AVI. Activation in the supplementary motor area during FEP motor sequence and activation in the precentral gyrus and the thalamic nuclei during AVI exhibited significant heritability estimates, ranging from 0.5 to 0.62. These results suggest that activation in cortical motor areas, the thalamus and the cerebellum associated with complex motor sequencing and audiovisual integration function may be heritable.