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Abstract #2158

Common and Unique Neural Regions Activated During Simple Hand Movements: Implications for Understanding Plasticity After Peripheral Nerve Damage

Rebecca D. Ray1, Michelle Johnson2, Christopher Pawela3

1Plastic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; 2Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; 3Plastic Surgery and Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States

Can specific hand movements be mapped onto unique brain regions? This study investigates the common and different representations of individual hand movements (grasp, index finger flexion and extension, finger spread and thumb raise). Participants wore MRI compatible sensor gloves to measure finger flexure and the orientation (pitch and roll) of the users hand as they controlled a small black dot. Several key regions are common to these tasks. There are also activated regions unique to each task. Understanding how motor tasks map onto specific neural regions allows investigators to study plasticity following nerve damage and other disorders of the nervous system.

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Keywords

activated activation activations additionally adult allow alone analyses analyzed anatomy axial biophysics black body brain central certain cluster college common community compatible computer conjunction contact contrast contrasts control corrected cortex damage delay designed diagnosis disorders dorsal extension feedback finger fingers flexure gloves grasp grass hand handed healthy hoped implications improve included index individual individuals investigate investigators lacking larger lateral long make male mapped materials matrix medial medical medicine motor movement movements must nerve nervous neural none onsets onto orientation parietal participant participants parts passive peripheral physical pitch planar plastic plasticity preprocessed prior produced raise realigned reality recruit recruited refining regressing regressors rehabilitation reliable repeated representations resolution rigorous rise roll sanes scanning sensor sensors sensory session several side sided simple slice spoiled spread spreading step studies subjects superior surgery surrounding system takes task tasks threshold thumb toes training treatment trial trials understanding underwent unique uniquely user variable versus virtual volume whole wore