Delineation of effector-specific representations in motor cortex and their structural/functional connectivity.

In many daily activities such as tying your shoelaces, driving a car or playing a musical instrument, a high degree of collaboration between the hands and fingers is critically important. Although it is well known that a dynamic network of various brain areas, including the corpus callosum (CC), is involved in the control of such bilateral movements, its exact neural organization remains a relatively unknown territory. Therefore, I will explore the associations between bilateral motor control and both functional and structural brain measures. First, with the unique use of an ultrahigh field (7T) MR scanner, limb-specific representations (on the level of individual digits) in the primary motor cortex, and functional relations within the cortical motor network are determined (WP1). Second, I will investigate a similar fine-grained limb-specific topographical organization in the CC, using advanced tractography methods to determine the quantity and quality of transcallosal fiber pathways (WP2). Third, by means of cutting-edge analysis techniques, outcome measures of WP1 and WP2 will be related to various expressions of bilateral motor control. Additionally, in order to gain further insights into the critical identification of brain-behavior associations, a sample of experienced musicians is included. This provides a unique window into studying bimanual motor control in relation to neuroplastic changes as a result of long-term skill training.