Manual dexterity correlating with right lobule VI volume in right-handed 14-year-olds

作者：Kuehn Simone; Romanowski Alexander^*; Schilling Christina; Banaschewski Tobias; Barbot Alexis; Barker Gareth J; Bruehl Ruediger; Buechel Christian; Conrod Patricia J; Czech Katharina; Dailey Jeff W; Flor Herta; Garavan Hugh; Haeke Ines; Ittermann Bernd; Ivanov Nikolay; Mann Karl; Lathrop Mark; Loth Eva; Luedemann Katharina; Mallik Catherine; Martinot Jean Luc; Palafox Carla; Poline Jean Baptiste; Reuter Jan; Rietschel Marcella; Robbins Trevor W; Smolka Michael N

来源：NeuroImage, 2012, 59(2): 1615-1621.

DOI：10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.08.100

• Cerebellum
• Manual dexterity
• Structural correlate
• Cortical thickness
• Morphometry
• Motor cortex

Background: Dexterity is a fundamental skill in our everyday life. Particularly, the fine-tuning of reaching for objects is of high relevance and crucially coordinated by the cerebellum. Although neuronal cerebellar structures mediate dexterity, classical whole brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) has not identified structural correlates of dexterity in the cerebellum. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods: Clusters of gray matter (GM) volume associated with the Purdue Pegboard Dexterity Test, a test of fine motor skills and complex upper limb movements, were identified in a cerebellum-optimized VBM analysis using the Spatially Unbiased Infratentorial (SUIT) toolbox in 65 healthy, right-handed 14-year-olds. For comparison, classical whole brain VBM was performed. %26lt;br%26gt;Results: The cerebellum-optimized VBM indicated a significant positive correlation between manual dexterity and GM volume in the right cerebellum Lobule VI, corrected for multiple comparisons and non-stationary smoothness. The classical whole brain VBM revealed positive associations (uncorrected) between dexterity performance and GM volume in the left SMA (BA 6), right fusiform gyrus (BA 20) and left cuneus (BA 18), but not cerebellar structures. %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions: The results indicate that cerebellar GM volumes in the right Lobule VI predict manual dexterity in healthy untrained humans when cerebellum-optimized VBM is employed. Although conventional VBM identified brain motor network areas it failed to detect cerebellar structures. Thus, previous studies might have underestimated the importance of cerebellum in manual dexterity.

• 出版日期2012-1-16
• 单位上海市精神卫生中心; 中国地震局