Cortical activity during online motor control in children with and without developmental coordination disorder: a cross-sectional functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
Quting Huang, Michael K Yeung, Kenneth N K Fong and 1 others
PMID 39277755WHAT IT FOUND
Children with DCD took significantly longer to correct reaching movements when a target shifted.
They showed less brain activation in the left superior parietal cortex during these corrections. This reduced activation correlated with their slower movement times, suggesting a difficulty processing real-time sensory feedback.
Key findings
01Children with DCD had significantly larger movement time differences between jump and non-jump trials compared to typically developing peers, indicating slower online motor correction.
02Activation in the left superior parietal cortex increased during movement correction in typically developing children but not in those with DCD.
03Lower activation in the left superior parietal cortex was associated with greater delays in movement correction time in both groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not capture cerebellar activity due to fNIRS limitations, which is relevant for internal model processes. The ratio of jump to non-jump trials (33%/67%) was higher than usual, potentially habituating participants to target shifts. Cortical activation included signals from button pressing and hand returning, not just the reaching movement itself. Physiological noise was removed by filtering only, which may have affected signal accuracy.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the left superior parietal cortex is the sole cause of DCD motor deficits. The study shows an association between reduced activation and slower correction, but cannot prove causation. Other brain regions, such as the cerebellum, were not measured.