Cortical signatures of precision grip force control in children, adolescents, and adults.

Human dexterous motor control improves from childhood to adulthood, but little is known about the changes in cortico-cortical communication that support such ontogenetic refinement of motor skills. To investigate age-related differences in connectivity between cortical regions involved in dexterous control, we analyzed electroencephalographic data from 88 individuals (range 8-30 years) performing a visually guided precision grip task using dynamic causal modelling and parametric empirical Bayes. Our results demonstrate that bidirectional coupling in a canonical 'grasping network' is associated with precision grip performance across age groups.

Directed connectivity between primary and premotor areas underlying ankle force control in young and older adults.

The control of ankle muscle force is an integral component of walking and postural control. Aging impairs the ability to produce force steadily and accurately, which can compromise functional capacity and quality of life. Here, we hypothesized that reduced force control in older adults would be associated with altered cortico-cortical communication within a network comprising the primary motor area (M1), the premotor cortex (PMC), parietal, and prefrontal regions.

Activation of NMDA receptor ion channels by deep brain stimulation in the pig visualised with [F]GE-179 PET.

Background: No PET radioligand has yet demonstrated the capacity to map glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor ion channel (NMDAR-IC) function. [F]GE-179 binds to the phencyclidine (PCP) site in open NMDAR-ICs and potentially provides a use-dependent PET biomarker of these ion channels.

Objective: To show [F]GE-179 PET can detect increased NMDAR-IC activation during electrical deep brain stimulation (DBS) of pig hippocampus.