Author name cluster

J. Doyon

Possible papers associated with this exact author name in Arrow. This page groups case-insensitive exact name matches and is not a full identity disambiguation profile.

11 papers

1 author row

YNIMG Journal 2023 Journal Article

Decoding cerebro-spinal signatures of human behavior: Application to motor sequence learning

N. Kinany
A. Khatibi
O. Lungu
J. Finsterbusch
C. Büchel
V. Marchand-Pauvert
D. Van De Ville
S. Vahdat

Mapping the neural patterns that drive human behavior is a key challenge in neuroscience. Even the simplest of our everyday actions stem from the dynamic and complex interplay of multiple neural structures across the central nervous system (CNS). Yet, most neuroimaging research has focused on investigating cerebral mechanisms, while the way the spinal cord accompanies the brain in shaping human behavior has been largely overlooked. Although the recent advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sequences that can simultaneously target the brain and spinal cord has opened up new avenues for studying these mechanisms at multiple levels of the CNS, research to date has been limited to inferential univariate techniques that cannot fully unveil the intricacies of the underlying neural states. To address this, we propose to go beyond traditional analyses and instead use a data-driven multivariate approach leveraging the dynamic content of cerebro-spinal signals using innovation-driven coactivation patterns (iCAPs). We demonstrate the relevance of this approach in a simultaneous brain-spinal cord fMRI dataset acquired during motor sequence learning (MSL), to highlight how large-scale CNS plasticity underpins rapid improvements in early skill acquisition and slower consolidation after extended practice. Specifically, we uncovered cortical, subcortical and spinal functional networks, which were used to decode the different stages of learning with a high accuracy and, thus, delineate meaningful cerebro-spinal signatures of learning progression. Our results provide compelling evidence that the dynamics of neural signals, paired with a data-driven approach, can be used to disentangle the modular organization of the CNS. While we outline the potential of this framework to probe the neural correlates of motor learning, its versatility makes it broadly applicable to explore the functioning of cerebro-spinal networks in other experimental or pathological conditions.

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YNICL Journal 2016 Journal Article

Influence of aerobic exercise training on the neural correlates of motor learning in Parkinson's disease individuals

C. Duchesne
F. Gheysen
A. Bore
G. Albouy
A. Nadeau
M.E. Robillard
F. Bobeuf
A.L. Lafontaine

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been shown to provide general health benefits, and to improve motor behaviours in particular, in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the influence of AET on their motor learning capacities, as well as the change in neural substrates mediating this effect remains to be explored. OBJECTIVE: In the current study, we employed functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess the effect of a 3-month AET program on the neural correlates of implicit motor sequence learning (MSL). METHODS: 20 healthy controls (HC) and 19 early PD individuals participated in a supervised, high-intensity, stationary recumbent bike training program (3 times/week for 12 weeks). Exercise prescription started at 20 min (+ 5 min/week up to 40 min) based on participant's maximal aerobic power. Before and after the AET program, participants' brain was scanned while performing an implicit version of the serial reaction time task. RESULTS: Brain data revealed pre-post MSL-related increases in functional activity in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum in PD patients, as well as in the striatum in HC individuals. Importantly, the functional brain changes in PD individuals correlated with changes in aerobic fitness: a positive relationship was found with increased activity in the hippocampus and striatum, while a negative relationship was observed with the cerebellar activity. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal, for the first time, that exercise training produces functional changes in known motor learning related brain structures that are consistent with improved behavioural performance observed in PD patients. As such, AET can be a valuable non-pharmacological intervention to promote, not only physical fitness in early PD, but also better motor learning capacity useful in day-to-day activities through increased plasticity in motor related structures.

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YNICL Journal 2015 Journal Article

Increased cortico-striatal connectivity during motor practice contributes to the consolidation of motor memory in writer's cramp patients

C. Gallea
M. Balas
E. Bertasi
R. Valabregue
D. García-Lorenzo
D. Coynel
C. Bonnet
D. Grabli

Sensorimotor representations of movements are created in the sensorimotor network through repeated practice to support successful and effortless performance. Writer's cramp (WC) is a disorder acquired through extensive practice of finger movements, and it is likely associated with the abnormal acquisition of sensorimotor representations. We investigated (i) the activation and connectivity changes in the brain network supporting the acquisition of sensorimotor representations of finger sequences in patients with WC and (ii) the link between these changes and consolidation of motor performance 24 h after the initial practice. Twenty-two patients with WC and 22 age-matched healthy volunteers practiced a complex sequence with the right (pathological) hand during functional MRI recording. Speed and accuracy were measured immediately before and after practice (day 1) and 24 h after practice (day 2). The two groups reached equivalent motor performance on day 1 and day 2. During motor practice, patients with WC had (i) reduced hippocampal activation and hippocampal-striatal functional connectivity; and (ii) overactivation of premotor-striatal areas, whose connectivity correlated with motor performance after consolidation. These results suggest that patients with WC use alternative networks to reach equiperformance in the acquisition of new motor memories.

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