Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.

In athletics, motor performance is determined by different abilities such as technique, endurance, strength and speed. Based on animal studies, motor speed is thought to be encoded in the basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex and the cerebellum. The question arises whether there is a unique structural...

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Main Authors: Uwe Wenzel, Marco Taubert, Patrick Ragert, Jürgen Krug, Arno Villringer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4011948?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-150f7327a7884c14a568dc304a4127b52020-11-24T21:42:06ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0195e9687110.1371/journal.pone.0096871Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.Uwe WenzelMarco TaubertPatrick RagertJürgen KrugArno VillringerIn athletics, motor performance is determined by different abilities such as technique, endurance, strength and speed. Based on animal studies, motor speed is thought to be encoded in the basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex and the cerebellum. The question arises whether there is a unique structural feature in the human brain, which allows "power athletes" to perform a simple foot movement significantly faster than "endurance athletes". We acquired structural and functional brain imaging data from 32 track-and-field athletes. The study comprised of 16 "power athletes" requiring high speed foot movements (sprinters, jumpers, throwers) and 16 endurance athletes (distance runners) which in contrast do not require as high speed foot movements. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify speed specific regions of interest in the brain during fast and slow foot movements. Anatomical MRI scans were performed to assess structural grey matter volume differences between athletes groups (voxel based morphometry). We tested maximum movement velocity of plantarflexion (PF-Vmax) and acquired electromyographical activity of the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscle. Behaviourally, a significant difference between the two groups of athletes was noted in PF-Vmax and fMRI indicates that fast plantarflexions are accompanied by increased activity in the cerebellar anterior lobe. The same region indicates increased grey matter volume for the power athletes compared to the endurance counterparts. Our results suggest that speed-specific neuro-functional and -structural differences exist between power and endurance athletes in the peripheral and central nervous system.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4011948?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Uwe Wenzel
Marco Taubert
Patrick Ragert
Jürgen Krug
Arno Villringer
spellingShingle Uwe Wenzel
Marco Taubert
Patrick Ragert
Jürgen Krug
Arno Villringer
Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Uwe Wenzel
Marco Taubert
Patrick Ragert
Jürgen Krug
Arno Villringer
author_sort Uwe Wenzel
title Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
title_short Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
title_full Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
title_fullStr Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
title_full_unstemmed Functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
title_sort functional and structural correlates of motor speed in the cerebellar anterior lobe.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2014-01-01
description In athletics, motor performance is determined by different abilities such as technique, endurance, strength and speed. Based on animal studies, motor speed is thought to be encoded in the basal ganglia, sensorimotor cortex and the cerebellum. The question arises whether there is a unique structural feature in the human brain, which allows "power athletes" to perform a simple foot movement significantly faster than "endurance athletes". We acquired structural and functional brain imaging data from 32 track-and-field athletes. The study comprised of 16 "power athletes" requiring high speed foot movements (sprinters, jumpers, throwers) and 16 endurance athletes (distance runners) which in contrast do not require as high speed foot movements. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify speed specific regions of interest in the brain during fast and slow foot movements. Anatomical MRI scans were performed to assess structural grey matter volume differences between athletes groups (voxel based morphometry). We tested maximum movement velocity of plantarflexion (PF-Vmax) and acquired electromyographical activity of the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscle. Behaviourally, a significant difference between the two groups of athletes was noted in PF-Vmax and fMRI indicates that fast plantarflexions are accompanied by increased activity in the cerebellar anterior lobe. The same region indicates increased grey matter volume for the power athletes compared to the endurance counterparts. Our results suggest that speed-specific neuro-functional and -structural differences exist between power and endurance athletes in the peripheral and central nervous system.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4011948?pdf=render
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