Abstract
The dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) and the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) are known to interact during motor coordination behavior. We previously discovered that the directional influences underlying this interaction in a visuo-motor coordination task are asymmetric, with the dACC→SMA influence being significantly greater than that in the reverse direction. To assess the specificity of this effect, here we undertook an analysis of the interaction between dACC and SMA in two distinct contexts. In addition to the motor coordination task, we also assessed these effects during a (n-back) working memory task. We applied directed functional connectivity analysis to these two task paradigms, and also to the rest condition of each paradigm, in which rest blocks were interspersed with task blocks. We report here that the previously known asymmetric interaction between dACC and SMA, with dACC→SMA dominating, was significantly larger in the motor coordination task than the memory task. Moreover the asymmetry between dACC and SMA was reversed during the rest condition of the motor coordination task, but not of the working memory task. In sum, the dACC→SMA influence was significantly greater in the motor task than the memory task condition, and the SMA→dACC influence was significantly greater in the motor rest than the memory rest condition. We interpret these results as suggesting that the potentiation of motor sub-networks during the motor rest condition supports the motor control of SMA by dACC during the active motor task condition.
Highlights
How are brain networks potentiated for action? As with the muscles in the body, the potential for dynamics in the brain may be encoded in the relationship between the system’s rest state and its active state
When considering directed functional connectivity (dFC) during rest epochs, Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) ! dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) functional connectivity was greater during the Motor than the Memory paradigm, but did not significantly differ in doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172531.g002
The fact that the SMA ! dACC dFC was significantly stronger in the Motor rest period than the Memory rest period indicates that the two rest periods differed
Summary
As with the muscles in the body, the potential for dynamics in the brain may be encoded in the relationship between the system’s rest state and its active state. How are brain networks potentiated for action? This relationship has been extensively discussed in terms of the metabolic. Directed functional connectivity during task and rest. Foundation, the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation, the Children’s Research Center of Michigan, the Cohen Neuroscience Endowment, and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH 59299, MH111177). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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