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An fMRI Study of the Differences in Brain Activity During Active Ankle Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion

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Abstract

Little is known regarding the differences in active cortical and subcortical systems during opposing movements of an agonist-antagonist muscle group. The objective of this study was to characterize the differences in cortical activation during active ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion using functional MRI (fMRI). Eight right-handed healthy adults performed auditorily cued right ankle dorsiflexions and plantarflexions during fMRI. Differences in activity patterns between dorsiflexion and plantarflexion during fMRI were assessed using between- and within-subject voxel-wise t-tests. Results indicated that ankle dorsiflexion recruited significantly more regions in left M1, the supplementary motor area (SMA) bilaterally, and right cerebellum. Both movements activated similar left hemisphere regions in the putamen and thalamus. Dorsiflexion activated additional areas in the right putamen. Results suggest that ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion may be controlled by both shared and independent neural circuitry. This has important implications for functional investigations of gait pathology and how rehabilitation may differentially affect each movement.

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Acknowledgements

This research is based upon work supported by Center of Excellence grant # B3149C and Senior Research Career Scientist Award # B3470S (to BC) from the Office of Research and Development, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veteran Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Brain Rehabilitation Research Center at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida

    Jonathan P. Trinastic, Steven A. Kautz, Keith McGregor, Chris Gregory, Mark Bowden, Michelle B. Benjamin, Tim Conway & Bruce Crosson

  2. Departments of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

    Keith McGregor

  3. Clinical Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

    Michelle B. Benjamin, Tim Conway & Bruce Crosson

  4. University of South Florida Medical School, Tampa, Florida

    Marc Kurtzman

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of California—San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California

    Yu Ling Chang

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  1. Jonathan P. Trinastic
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Correspondence to Jonathan P. Trinastic.

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Trinastic, J.P., Kautz, S.A., McGregor, K. et al. An fMRI Study of the Differences in Brain Activity During Active Ankle Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion. Brain Imaging and Behavior 4, 121–131 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-010-9091-2

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