7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks
The human primary motor cortex (M1) follows a well-established somatotopic organization, yet finer-scale representations, such as mirrored finger maps, have remained difficult to resolve non-invasively. To investigate movement representations in an action-based framework rather than a strictly somat...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | NeuroImage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003544 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839648434327388160 |
|---|---|
| author | SoHyun Han Dongho Kim Seulgi Eun HyungJoon Cho Seong-Gi Kim |
| author_facet | SoHyun Han Dongho Kim Seulgi Eun HyungJoon Cho Seong-Gi Kim |
| author_sort | SoHyun Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human primary motor cortex (M1) follows a well-established somatotopic organization, yet finer-scale representations, such as mirrored finger maps, have remained difficult to resolve non-invasively. To investigate movement representations in an action-based framework rather than a strictly somatotopic layout, we conducted both conventional gradient-echo (GE) and highly specific spin-echo (SE) BOLD fMRI at 7 T with 1 mm isotropic resolution. Subjects performed 1-Hz visually-instructed thumb–index finger or thumb–ring finger opposition tasks, and their finger movements were recorded using an MR-compatible data glove to verify proper task performance. In each subject, the activated M1 region spanning multiple slices was subdivided into ten columns along a medial-to-lateral axis. Finger dominance (index vs. ring) was determined within each column. In GE-BOLD fMRI, two distinct tasks exhibited similar activation patterns across columns, reflecting its limited ability to resolve columnar activation differences due to contamination from draining vein effects. In contrast, SE-BOLD fMRI revealed alternating task dominance across columns, demonstrating higher spatial specificity compared to GE-BOLD. By integrating SE-BOLD fMRI, but not GE-BOLD, with behavioral data, we present a more accurate mesoscopic mapping of motor activity in individual subjects. These findings provide non-invasive evidence of fine-grained motor organization, demonstrating the utility of SE-BOLD contrast for mapping mesoscopic representations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-be2f64e94f40432b8c7be61b5d0cfc6f |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-be2f64e94f40432b8c7be61b5d0cfc6f2025-06-29T04:51:30ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-08-013171213517T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasksSoHyun Han0Dongho Kim1Seulgi Eun2HyungJoon Cho3Seong-Gi Kim4Center for Bio-imaging and Translational Research, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Ochang, South Korea; Corresponding authors.Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, South KoreaDivision of KM Science Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), Dagjeon, South KoreaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute Science Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South KoreaCenter for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, South Korea; Corresponding authors.The human primary motor cortex (M1) follows a well-established somatotopic organization, yet finer-scale representations, such as mirrored finger maps, have remained difficult to resolve non-invasively. To investigate movement representations in an action-based framework rather than a strictly somatotopic layout, we conducted both conventional gradient-echo (GE) and highly specific spin-echo (SE) BOLD fMRI at 7 T with 1 mm isotropic resolution. Subjects performed 1-Hz visually-instructed thumb–index finger or thumb–ring finger opposition tasks, and their finger movements were recorded using an MR-compatible data glove to verify proper task performance. In each subject, the activated M1 region spanning multiple slices was subdivided into ten columns along a medial-to-lateral axis. Finger dominance (index vs. ring) was determined within each column. In GE-BOLD fMRI, two distinct tasks exhibited similar activation patterns across columns, reflecting its limited ability to resolve columnar activation differences due to contamination from draining vein effects. In contrast, SE-BOLD fMRI revealed alternating task dominance across columns, demonstrating higher spatial specificity compared to GE-BOLD. By integrating SE-BOLD fMRI, but not GE-BOLD, with behavioral data, we present a more accurate mesoscopic mapping of motor activity in individual subjects. These findings provide non-invasive evidence of fine-grained motor organization, demonstrating the utility of SE-BOLD contrast for mapping mesoscopic representations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003544Motor cortex organizationSpin-echo BOLD (SE-BOLD)Hand motion measurementMesoscopic fMRICortical Columnar Specificity |
| spellingShingle | SoHyun Han Dongho Kim Seulgi Eun HyungJoon Cho Seong-Gi Kim 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks NeuroImage Motor cortex organization Spin-echo BOLD (SE-BOLD) Hand motion measurement Mesoscopic fMRI Cortical Columnar Specificity |
| title | 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| title_full | 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| title_fullStr | 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| title_full_unstemmed | 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| title_short | 7T Spin-echo BOLD fMRI enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| title_sort | 7t spin echo bold fmri enhances spatial specificity in the human motor cortex during finger movement tasks |
| topic | Motor cortex organization Spin-echo BOLD (SE-BOLD) Hand motion measurement Mesoscopic fMRI Cortical Columnar Specificity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003544 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sohyunhan 7tspinechoboldfmrienhancesspatialspecificityinthehumanmotorcortexduringfingermovementtasks AT donghokim 7tspinechoboldfmrienhancesspatialspecificityinthehumanmotorcortexduringfingermovementtasks AT seulgieun 7tspinechoboldfmrienhancesspatialspecificityinthehumanmotorcortexduringfingermovementtasks AT hyungjooncho 7tspinechoboldfmrienhancesspatialspecificityinthehumanmotorcortexduringfingermovementtasks AT seonggikim 7tspinechoboldfmrienhancesspatialspecificityinthehumanmotorcortexduringfingermovementtasks |