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Cortical signatures of precision grip force control in children, adolescents, and adults

2021; eLife Sciences Publications Ltd; Volume: 10; Linguagem: Inglês

10.7554/elife.61018

2050-084X

Mikkel Malling Beck, Meaghan Elizabeth Spedden, Martin Dietz, Anke Ninija Karabanov, Mark Schram Christensen, Jesper Lundbye‐Jensen,

EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces

Human dexterous motor control improves from childhood to adulthood, but little is known about the changes in cortico-cortical communication that support such ontogenetic refinement of motor skills. To investigate age-related differences in connectivity between cortical regions involved in dexterous control, we analyzed electroencephalographic data from 88 individuals (range 8-30 years) performing a visually guided precision grip task using dynamic causal modelling and parametric empirical Bayes. Our results demonstrate that bidirectional coupling in a canonical ‘grasping network’ is associated with precision grip performance across age groups. We further demonstrate greater backward coupling from higher-order to lower-order sensorimotor regions from late adolescence in addition to differential associations between connectivity strength in a premotor-prefrontal network and motor performance for different age groups. We interpret these findings as reflecting greater use of top-down and executive control processes with development. These results expand our understanding of the cortical mechanisms that support dexterous abilities through development.