Motor dexterity and strength depend upon integrity of the attention-control system
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Attention control (or executive control) is a higher cognitive function involved in response selection and inhibition, through close interactions with the motor system. Here, we tested whether influences of attention control are also seen on lower level motor functions of dexterity and strength—by examining relationships between attention control and motor performance in healthy-aged and hemiparetic-stroke subjects (n = 93 and 167, respectively). Subjects undertook simple-tracking, precision-hold, and maximum force-generation tasks, with each hand. Performance across all tasks correlated strongly with attention control (measured as distractor resistance), independently of factors such as baseline performance, hand use, lesion size, mood, fatigue, or whether distraction was tested during motor or nonmotor cognitive tasks. Critically, asymmetric dissociations occurred in all tasks, in that severe motor impairment coexisted with normal (or impaired) attention control whereas normal motor performance was never associated with impaired attention control (below a task-dependent threshold). This implies that dexterity and force generation require intact attention control. Subsequently, we examined how motor and attention-control performance mapped to lesion location and cerebral functional connectivity. One component of motor performance (common to both arms), as well as attention control, correlated with the anatomical and functional integrity of a cingulo-opercular “salience” network. Independently of this, motor performance difference between arms correlated negatively with the integrity of the primary sensorimotor network and corticospinal tract. These results suggest that the salience network, and its attention-control function, are necessary for virtually all volitional motor acts while its damage contributes significantly to the cardinal motor deficits of stroke.
Date Issued
2018-01-16
Date Acceptance
2017-11-15
Citation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018, 115 (3), pp.E536-E545
ISSN
0027-8424
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Start Page
E536
End Page
E545
Journal / Book Title
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume
115
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives
License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND).
License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND).
Sponsor
National Institute for Health Research
Grant Number
RDA26
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
motor
attention
cognitive control
stroke
fMRI
BRAIN ACTIVITY
STROKE
RECOVERY
CONNECTIVITY
HAND
NETWORKS
FINE
PERFORMANCE
SELECTION
SKILLS
attention
cognitive control
fMRI
motor
stroke
Aged
Attention
Case-Control Studies
Executive Function
Female
Humans
Male
Memory
Middle Aged
Motor Activity
Psychomotor Performance
Stroke
Humans
Case-Control Studies
Motor Activity
Memory
Psychomotor Performance
Attention
Aged
Middle Aged
Female
Male
Stroke
Executive Function
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-12-28