Changes In Effective Connectivity Within the Motor Cortex in Children with Upper Limb Reduction Deficiency Before and After an 8-Week Intervention
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Doctoral)
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0001-7759-7800
Advisor Information
-
Location
CEC RM #127
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
22-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
22-3-2024 10:15 AM
Abstract
Children born with upper limb reduction deficiency (ULRD) are characterized by a missing portion of one or both upper limbs, ranging from the fingers to the shoulder. Current research suggests that individuals with ULRD are much more likely to reject using a prosthesis compared to individuals with acquired amputations. While prosthesis rejection can be due to factors such as weight, functionality, and comfort, recent data suggests that individuals with ULRD have altered brain activity during the use of their prosthesis. This altered brain activity is often exhibited by bilateral activation within the motor cortex. To further understand these abnormalities in motor cortex activation and how it may plastically change due to consistent prosthesis use, we have measured the effective connectivity of the motor regions in children with ULRD during prosthesis use, before and after an 8-week prosthesis training intervention. Effective connectivity defines the influence a neural group has on another group. This imbues investigators with a diagram of how the traffic of information flows or is stunted from one brain region to the next. We hypothesized that at baseline, children would display many positive but weak connections, and after the intervention, strong focalized connections between the motor and pre-motor areas would emerge as a result of the training. Brain activation was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as participants performed the Box and Block test using their prosthesis. Effective connectivity was measured using Dynamic Causal Modeling. The intervention that occurred between collections involved using the prosthesis for various naturalistic activities, such as paper folding, block stacking, and tray carrying. After the intervention, we found significant increases in task performance, and significant increases in connectivity from the lateral motor cortex to the medial motor cortex and from the supplementary motor area (SMA) to the lateral motor cortex. Additionally, the number of suppressive connections increased after the intervention. We propose that the strong connection from the SMA to the motor cortex may be a marker of increased motor planning efficiency.
Changes In Effective Connectivity Within the Motor Cortex in Children with Upper Limb Reduction Deficiency Before and After an 8-Week Intervention
CEC RM #127
Children born with upper limb reduction deficiency (ULRD) are characterized by a missing portion of one or both upper limbs, ranging from the fingers to the shoulder. Current research suggests that individuals with ULRD are much more likely to reject using a prosthesis compared to individuals with acquired amputations. While prosthesis rejection can be due to factors such as weight, functionality, and comfort, recent data suggests that individuals with ULRD have altered brain activity during the use of their prosthesis. This altered brain activity is often exhibited by bilateral activation within the motor cortex. To further understand these abnormalities in motor cortex activation and how it may plastically change due to consistent prosthesis use, we have measured the effective connectivity of the motor regions in children with ULRD during prosthesis use, before and after an 8-week prosthesis training intervention. Effective connectivity defines the influence a neural group has on another group. This imbues investigators with a diagram of how the traffic of information flows or is stunted from one brain region to the next. We hypothesized that at baseline, children would display many positive but weak connections, and after the intervention, strong focalized connections between the motor and pre-motor areas would emerge as a result of the training. Brain activation was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as participants performed the Box and Block test using their prosthesis. Effective connectivity was measured using Dynamic Causal Modeling. The intervention that occurred between collections involved using the prosthesis for various naturalistic activities, such as paper folding, block stacking, and tray carrying. After the intervention, we found significant increases in task performance, and significant increases in connectivity from the lateral motor cortex to the medial motor cortex and from the supplementary motor area (SMA) to the lateral motor cortex. Additionally, the number of suppressive connections increased after the intervention. We propose that the strong connection from the SMA to the motor cortex may be a marker of increased motor planning efficiency.