Cortical Correlations Between Fine Manual Motor Skills and Speech Articulation : Pilot Study

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between cerebral motor control during a manual task and during an articulary task, using functional MRI in a cohort or young adults aged between 18 and 35.

The literature reveals a well-established relationship between manual motor skills and speech from an anatomical and functional point of view. Some studies indicate a proximity between the motor cortical regions corresponding to the hand and the mouth, with a mutual interaction of the two functions from the earliest stages of life (for example, the Babkin reflex). Experimental data shows that hand movements can be influenced by mouth movements. Neurophysiological studies have demonstrated the existence of a link between these two systems in humans and monkeys.

To date, no study has identified the common cortical networks that are active during these two limb movements in a given sample of subjects. The aim of this study is to determine whether such networks exist. The results could be therapeutically relevant, particularly for stroke patients, by enabling more effective restoration of articulatory abilities through complementary limb movements.