Hippocampal and striatal responses during motor learning are modulated by prefrontal cortex stimulation

Gann, M. A. et al. (2021) Hippocampal and striatal responses during motor learning are modulated by prefrontal cortex stimulation. NeuroImage, 237, 118158. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118158) (PMID:33991699)

Abstract

While it is widely accepted that motor sequence learning (MSL) is supported by a prefrontal-mediated interaction between hippocampal and striatal networks, it remains unknown whether the functional responses of these networks can be modulated in humans with targeted experimental interventions. The present proof-of-concept study employed a multimodal neuroimaging approach, including functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR spectroscopy, to investigate whether individually-tailored theta-burst stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can modulate responses in the hippocampus and the basal ganglia during motor learning. Our results indicate that while stimulation did not modulate motor performance nor task-related brain activity, it influenced connectivity patterns within hippocampo-frontal and striatal networks. Stimulation also altered the relationship between the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the stimulated prefrontal cortex and learning-related changes in both activity and connectivity in fronto-striato-hippocampal networks. This study provides the first experimental evidence, to the best of our knowledge, that brain stimulation can alter motor learning-related functional responses in the striatum and hippocampus.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Belgian Research Foundation Flanders (FWO; G099516N) and internal funds from KU Leuven. GA also received support from FWO (G0D7918N, G0B1419N, 1524218N) and Excellence of Science (EOS, 30446199, MEMODYN, with SPS and DM). MAG, ND and MPV received salary support from these grants. MAG is funded by a predoctoral fellowship from FWO (1141320N). Financial support for author BRK was provided by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (703490) and a postdoctoral fellowship from FWO (132635). This study applies tools developed under National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants R01- EB-016089, R01-023963, and P41-EB015909; RAEE also receives salary support from these grants. NAJP receives salary support from NIH Grant R00-MH-107719. EMR received salary support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR, Virginia, USA; FA9550-16-1-0191).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Robertson, Professor Edwin
• Authors: Gann, M. A., King, B. R., Dolfen, N., Veldman, M. P., Chan, K. L., Puts, N. A.J., Edden, R. A.E., Davare, M., Swinnen, S. P., Mantini, D., Robertson, E. M., and Albouy, G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: NeuroImage
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1053-8119
• ISSN (Online): 1095-9572
• Published Online: 12 May 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in NeuroImage 237: 118158
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License