Revealing development of motor functions during golden ages

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H02143
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Principal Investigator: Naito Eiichi 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳情報通信融合研究室, 研究マネージャー (10283293)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 運動機能発達 / ゴールデンエイジ / 大脳小脳連関 / 機能的磁気共鳴装置

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we used MRI to visualize how the brain develops motor functions during the so-called "golden age" of elementary school. In the motor cortex, we found that interhemispheric inhibition and cross-somatotopic inhibition develop from elementary to junior high school, suggesting that functional differentiation of somatotopic body representation matures during adolescence. As for the cerebro-cerebellar network, we showed that functional connectivity within local region is still strong in elementary school children, and the connectivity between the motor cortex and the cerebellum is enhanced along with development in association with cerebro-cerebellar fiber maturation.

Free Research Field

運動システム脳科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

運動機能はヒトの生存にとって本質的であるが、これまで、運動機能を支える脳の発達に関する知見は乏しかった。本研究は、運動野で起こる機能分化や大脳-小脳連関の発達などに関して、世界初の貴重な知見を数多く明らかにし、これらを国際科学雑誌で公表するとともに、多くの講演や総説などでその成果を積極的に社会に還元した。本研究は、運動システム脳科学を重厚化させ、スポーツトレーニングの指針にもなりうる基礎脳科学の知見を数多く提供することに成功した。