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Distinct representation of ipsilateral hand movements in sensorimotor areas
Author(s) -
Bruurmijn Mark L. C. M.,
Raemaekers Mathijs,
Branco Mariana P.,
Ramsey Nick F.,
Vansteensel Mariska J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.15501
Subject(s) - central sulcus , precentral gyrus , somatosensory system , postcentral gyrus , neuroscience , functional magnetic resonance imaging , cortex (anatomy) , psychology , motor cortex , gesture , primary motor cortex , supplementary motor area , posterior parietal cortex , anatomy , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , computer science , stimulation , radiology , computer vision
There is ample evidence that the contralateral sensorimotor areas play an important role in movement generation, with the primary motor cortex and the primary somatosensory cortex showing a detailed spatial organization of the representation of contralateral body parts. Interestingly, there are also indications for a role of the motor cortex in controlling the ipsilateral side of the body. However, the precise function of ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex in unilateral movement control is still unclear. Here, we show hand movement representation in the ipsilateral sensorimotor hand area, in which hand gestures can be distinguished from each other and from contralateral hand gestures. High‐field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired during the execution of six left‐ and six right‐hand gestures by healthy volunteers showed ipsilateral activation mainly in the anterior section of precentral gyrus and the posterior section of the postcentral gyrus. Despite the lower activation in ipsilateral areas closer to the central sulcus, activity patterns for the 12 hand gestures could be mutually distinguished in these areas. The existence of a unique representation of ipsilateral hand movements in the human sensorimotor cortex favours the notion of transcallosal integrative processes that support optimal coordination of hand movements.