Beck, MM;
Spedden, ME;
Christensen, MS;
Lundbye-Jensen, J;
(2025)
Motor skill learning differentially modulates functional connectivity in cortical and corticospinal networks in children, adolescents, and adults.
Neuroimage
, 319
, Article 121436. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121436.
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Abstract
Learning a new motor skill relies on functional reorganization of the human central nervous system (CNS). Plasticity may shape the transmission and communication between cortical regions and between cortical and spinal networks involved in sensorimotor control, but little is known about the influence of age on these adaptations. In a series of experiments, we investigated whether changes in cortical and corticospinal functional connectivity following motor practice differ among individuals at different stages of development (age range 8–30 years old). One hundred and one individuals practiced a visuomotor tracking task in a single experimental session. Functional cortico-cortical and cortico-muscular connectivity were quantified before and after motor training using non-zero lagged coherence estimated from source-reconstructed electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) time series. For cortico-cortical coherence, the focus was on sources in a pre-specified cortical network consistently implicated in motor learning. For cortico-muscular coherence, analyses were restricted to the contralateral primary motor cortex. The results showed that upregulation of connectivity in cortical and corticospinal networks, and improvements in motor performance following practice were more pronounced in adults compared to children. Control experiments demonstrated that these changes were dependent on motor practice rather than extended use and on changes in motor performance rather than absolute performance levels. We propose that the reported age-related differences reflect that the mature CNS is tuned to engage in adaptive processes, leading to increased sensorimotor connectivity and improvements in skilled performance during early motor learning. Our results contribute to a better understanding of age-related differences in the network adaptations underlying successful skill learning during human development.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Motor skill learning differentially modulates functional connectivity in cortical and corticospinal networks in children, adolescents, and adults |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121436 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121436 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Coherence, Connectivity, Development, EEG, Motor learning, Plasticity, Skill acquisition, Humans, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Male, Female, Young Adult, Motor Skills, Learning, Pyramidal Tracts, Electroencephalography, Motor Cortex, Electromyography, Nerve Net, Neuronal Plasticity, Cerebral Cortex |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10215246 |
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