Neural substrates of intermanual transfer in force field adaptation

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25750267
• 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
• Principal Investigator: KASUGA SHOKO 慶應義塾大学, 医学部, 特任助教 (70632529)
• Research Collaborator: TAJIMI HISASHI 慶應義塾大学, 理工学部, 前期博士課程 ; USHIBA JUNICHI 慶應義塾大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (00383985)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 上肢到達運動 / 力場適応 / 学習転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Many previous studies reported that newly acquired skills in one arm transferred to the other arm; however, neural substrates of such intermanual transfer have yet to be clarified. In the current study, to reveal the contribution of the primary cortex (M1) to intermanual transfer of motor adaptation during an arm-reaching task, I disrupted M1 activity during movements by transcranial magnetic stimulation and see the effect on intermanual transfer.
I found that intermanual transfer was mediated by uinlateral M1 controlling the untrained arm, and occurs in a trial-by-trial manner. In addition, motor adaptation of the trained arm and intermanual transfer to the untrained arm were observed depending on the direction of dynamical perturbation during the arm-reaching task.

Free Research Field

神経科学