How we get a grip: Microstructural neural correlates of manual grip strength in children

Maximal grip strength is associated with a variety of health-related outcome measures and thus may be reflective of the efficiency of foundational brain-body communication. Non-human primate models of grip strength strongly implicate the cortical lateral grasping network, but little is known about the translatability of these models to human children. Further, it is unclear how supplementary networks that provide proprioceptive information and cerebellar-based motor command modification are associated with maximal grip strength. Therefore, this study employed high resolution, multi-shell diffusion and quantitative T1 imaging to examine how variations in lateral grasping, proprioception input, and cortico-cerebellar modification network white matter microstructure are associated with variations in grip strength across 70 children. Results indicated that stronger grip strength was associated with higher lateral grasping and proprioception input network fractional anisotropy and R1, indirect measures consistent with stronger microstructural coherence and increased myelination. No relationships were found in the cerebellar modification network. These results provide a neurobiological mechanism of grip behavior in children which suggests that increased myelination of cortical sensory and motor pathways is associated with stronger grip. This neurobiological mechanism may be a signature of pediatric neuro-motor behavior more broadly as evidenced by the previously demonstrated relationships between grip strength and behavioral outcome measures across a variety of clinical and non-clinical populations.

Automated summary

This study investigated the associations between variations in grip strength and white matter microstructure of lateral grasping, proprioception input, and cortico-cerebellar modification networks among 70 children using high resolution, multi-shell diffusion and quantitative T1 imaging. The results revealed that stronger grip strength was associated with higher fractional anisotropy and R1 values in the lateral grasping and proprioception input networks, indicating stronger microstructural coherence and increased myelination. No relationships were found in the cerebellar modification network. These findings provide a neurobiological mechanism for grip behavior in children and suggest that increased myelination of cortical sensory and motor pathways is associated with stronger grip.