The Neural Correlates of Motor Functioning in Preschool-Aged Children
Abstract
Although researchers have spent decades characterizing typical brain and motor development, limited research has bridged these two fields by examining the associations between brain structure and motor behavior. The current study uses both diffusion and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the relationships between brain microstructure, macrostructure, and motor abilities in 68 typically developing preschool children, aged 3 to 5 years. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-II) was used to assess motor functioning in children. Associations between MABC-II total test standard scores and white matter anisotropy and diffusivity in callosal motor fibers (CC) and corticospinal tracts (CST) were examined. Associations of MABC-II scores and whole brain structural properties (i.e., cortical thickness and volume) in canonical motor regions were also examined. Motor scores were found to correlate with measures of anisotropy and diffusivity in CC motor fibers. No associations were found between motor performance and measures of anisotropy or diffusivity in either the left or right CST. Finally, no associations were observed between cortical and subcortical macrostructure and motor abilities in preschool-aged children. These findings suggest a relationship between callosal fiber white matter structure and motor performance in typically developing preschool-aged children, and that structural variation in callosal motor fibers but not corticospinal tracts, may partially account for the natural variability in motor performance seen across typically developing preschool children. Clarifying brain-motor behavior relationships in typically developing children could help to inform future studies on the etiology and physiology of developmental motor impairments in pediatric populations.
Description
Keywords
Human Development, Psychology--Behavioral, Psychology--Developmental
Citation
Grohs, M. (2017). The Neural Correlates of Motor Functioning in Preschool-Aged Children (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28255