Neural substrates underlying performance variability

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26750242
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: Keio University (2016); Waseda University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: MIZUGUCHI Nobuaki 慶應義塾大学, 理工学部(矢上), 訪問研究員 (80635425)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 脳活動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To elucidate the neural substrate associated with difficult whole-body movements, we measured brain activity during kinesthetic motor imagery. Brain activity was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Nineteen participants imagined three types of whole-body movement with the horizontal bar: the giant swing, kip, and chin-up. Activity in the primary visual cortex (V1) during kinesthetic motor imagery was significantly greater in the least-vivid imagery (giant swing) than the most-vivid imagery (chin-up) within participants. Across participants, V1 activity of kinesthetic motor imagery of the kip was negatively correlated with vividness of the kip imagery. These results suggest that activity in V1 is dependent upon the capability of kinesthetic motor imagery for difficult whole-body movements. This indicates that brain activity in association with movement variability might depends upon the difficulty of movement.

Free Research Field

運動制御