Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Basic Biomedical Science
First Advisor
Lee Baugh
Second Advisor
Taylor Bosch
Third Advisor
Anna Simonson
Keywords
anterior supramarginal gyrus, motor learning, chopsticks
Subject Categories
Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
The left anterior supramarginal gyrus (aSMG) is recognized as a fundamental cortical region involved in the mastery of skilled tool-use. Although various research studies have revealed that anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (atDCS) over the cortex has the potential to boost manual dexterity, the impact of stimulating the aSMG is less understood in relation to the learning process. Within this study, there was a chopstick-based marble task to discover if atDCS applied to the left aSMG was capable of facilitating the acquisition of a novel motor skill. Concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure the changes in neural synchrony within the beta and gamma frequency bands during a critical period of action observation. The findings have indicated that rather than increasing overall connectivity, the atDCS modified the functional association between the different brain states and physical performance. More specifically, there was a significant interaction where interhemispheric beta-band connectivity (C3-C4) became a robust predictor of task success within the simulation group during the latter half of the observation window. These results indicate aSMG stimulation primes the motor system through making specific neural coordination patterns more behaviorally relevant. This study has clarified the aSMG’s role within skill acquisition as well as suggested new avenues relating to the targeted neurostimulation in rehabilitation settings for those with impaired motor control.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Brooklyn R., "EXPLORING THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF MOTOR LEARNING" (2026). Honors Thesis. 422.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/422