Parietal dysfunction in developmental coordination disorder: a functional MRI study

TLDR

The study aimed to uncover mechanisms of clumsiness in children with developmental coordination disorder. Using fMRI during a joystick‑tracked visuomotor task, 12 DCD boys and 12 healthy controls (ages 9‑12) were scanned. DCD children performed less accurately and showed reduced activation in the left posterior parietal cortex and left postcentral gyrus, indicating these regions underlie their motor deficits.

Abstract

We aimed to detect the mechanisms underlying clumsiness in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a visuomotor task was performed in 12 boys with DCD and 12 healthy boys (controls) (9-12 years old). They tracked a horizontally moving target by manipulating a joystick. With regard to the behavioural performance, DCD children were significantly less accurate than control children. The comparison of the activation maps showed that the brain activity in the left posterior parietal cortex and left postcentral gyrus was lower in the DCD children than in the control children. These results suggest that the dysfunction of these regions may be the neural underpinnings of impaired motor skill in DCD children.