Bimanual digit training improves right-hand dexterity in older adults by reactivating declined ipsilateral motor-cortical inhibition

Autor: Satoshi Hirose, Chikako Kamimukai, Nodoka Kimura, Minoru Asada, Eiichi Naito, Hideya Okamoto, Tomoyo Morita
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021)
Scientific Reports
DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.21.445083
Popis: Improving deteriorated sensorimotor functions in older individuals is a social necessity in a super-aging society. Previous studies suggested that the declined interhemispheric sensorimotor inhibition observed in older adults is associated with their deteriorated hand/finger dexterity. Here, we examined whether bimanual digit exercises, which can train the interhemispheric inhibitory system, improve deteriorated hand/finger dexterity in older adults. Forty-eight healthy, right-handed, older adults (65–78 years old) were divided into two groups, i.e., the bimanual (BM) digit training and right-hand (RH) training groups, and intensive daily training was performed for 2 months. Before and after the training, we evaluated individual right hand/finger dexterity using a peg task, and the individual state of interhemispheric sensorimotor inhibition by analyzing ipsilateral sensorimotor deactivation via functional magnetic resonance imaging when participants experienced a kinesthetic illusory movement of the right-hand without performing any motor tasks. Before training, the degree of reduction/loss of ipsilateral motor-cortical deactivation was associated with dexterity deterioration. After training, the dexterity improved only in the BM group, and the dexterity improvement was correlated with reduction in ipsilateral motor-cortical activity. The capability of the brain to inhibit ipsilateral motor-cortical activity during a simple right-hand sensory-motor task is tightly related to right-hand dexterity in older adults.
Databáze: OpenAIRE