Effects of healthy ageing on activation pattern within the primary motor cortex during movement and motor imagery: an fMRI study.

Nikhil Sharma,Jean-Claude Baron,Xi-Nian Zuo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088443

Abstract

The increase in older adults over the coming decades will be accompanied by a greater burden of chronic neurological diseases affecting the motor system. The motor system adapts to maintain motor performance with the primary motor cortex (BA4) emerging as a pivotal node within this neuroplastic process. Studies of ageing often consider BA4 a homogenous area but cytoarchitectonic studies have revealed two subdivisions, an anterior (BA4a) and posterior subdivision (BA4p). Here we focus upon the effects of ageing on the involvement of BA4a and BA4p during movement and motor imagery (MI). Thirty-one right-handed healthy volunteers were recruited and screened for their ability to perform imagery (5 subjects excluded). The sample was split into an older group (n = 13, mean age 56.4 SD 9.4) and a younger group (n = 13, mean age 27.4 SD 5.3). We used an fMRI block-design (auditory-paced [1 Hz] right hand finger-thumb opposition sequence [2,3,4,5, 2…]) with MI & rest and actual movement & rest. We explored the distribution-based clustering and weighted laterality index within BA4a and BA4p. The involvement of BA4p during MI (measured with distribution-based clustering) was significantly greater in the older group (p<0.05) than in the younger group. Hemispheric balance of BA4p decreased with age during MI (Spearman rho −0.371; p<0.05), whereas that of BA4a decreased with age during actual movement (Spearman rho = −0.458 p<0.01). Irrespective of age, we found BA4 is involved during motor imagery, strengthening the rationale for its potential use in older subjects. These findings suggest that the functions of the subdivisions of BA4 are differentially affected by ageing and have implications regarding how ageing affects the cognitive processes underlying motor functions.

Highlights

The aging of the world population poses a major health challenge
Median post MRI motor imagery scores (MIS) was, Right hand = 6 and there was no difference between the groups
We document for the first time that during motor imagery the hemispheric balance of the posterior subdivision of BA4 (BA4p) decreases with age, while during executed movement it is the hemispheric balance of the anterior subdivision of BA4 (BA4a) that was found to decrease with age

Summary

Introduction

The aging of the world population poses a major health challenge. The increase in older adults will be accompanied by a greater burden of chronic neurological diseases many of which affect the motor system. Throughout life the motor system is capable of change, or neuroplasticity. The primary motor cortex (BA4) has emerged as a key area within this plastic process [1,2,3,4,5]. We will explore how the involvement of the motor cortex alters with aging. We will compare movement to motor imagery and, for reasons explained below, focus on the two subdivisions of the motor cortex [6]

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