Left Lateralization of Motor Circuit Connectivity is Associated with Better Motor Performance in Children

Anita Dyan Barber^1,2, Suresh E. Joel¹, Priti Srinivasan², Simona Spinelli², Jim J. Pekar^1,2, Stewart H. Mostofsky^1,2

The association between resting state functional connectivity within the motor network (Mostofsky et al., 2009) and motor abilities was examined. Motor performance was assessed using the PANESS (Denckla, 1985), a standardized battery sensitive to developmental changes in motor abilities. 40 typically-developing, right-handed children (ages 8-12) performed the PANESS outside of the scanner and then were scanned during a 5 minute rest session. Greater mean connectivity within the left than right hemisphere motor circuit was significantly correlated with better motor performance. The results suggest that greater left hemisphere dominance in motor circuit connectivity is associated with better motor performance in children.