Neural processes for unimanual and bimanual movements

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25750408
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Brain biometrics
• Research Institution: Kochi University of Technology (2014); The University of Tokyo (2013)
• Principal Investigator: KIMURA Takahiro 高知工科大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 助教 (50632254)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 経頭蓋磁気刺激 / 運動誘発電位 / 運動制御 / 片手・両手運動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Bimanual movement had been considered to be simply composed right and left manual movements. However, behavioral research of motor leaning demonstrated the same arm is supported by partially overlapping neural processes for unimanual and bimanual movements. This results suggested existence of the specific neural processes for bimanual movement. Here, we investigated the neural processes for unimanual and bimanual movement to evaluate corticospinal excitability during unimanual and bimanual force exertion with transcranial magnetic stimulation over motor cortex.
We confirmed that contralateral manual force exertion of the particular orientation changed the unimanual corticospinal excitability. Moreover, the changes of corticospinal excitability had the asymmetric property. Right manual force exertion facilitated left manual corticospinal excitability, while left manual force exertion inhibited right manual one.

Free Research Field

神経生理学