Developmental coordination disorder: Insights from neuroimaging

Abstract

Developmental coordination disorder is a common but seldomly recognized motor disorder of unknown etiology that affects a childs ability to learn motor skills and perform daily activities. Central nervous system pathology is suspected, but, until recently, no neuroimaging studies had been conducted to confirm this hypothesis. This article summarizes the neuroimaging evidence to date, including functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging studies of children with and without DCD. Three key findings have emerged: (1) children with DCD activate different brain regions than children with typical development during motor performance; (2) children with DCD under-activate brain regions associated with motor learning relative to children with typical development; and (3) children with DCD show altered microstructural integrity of motor and sensory pathways. Further neuroimaging research will expand our understanding of the neurobiology of DCD, which may inform our thinking of possible causes of the disorder and how to best design rehabilitation interventions to ameliorate or overcome the motor difficulties associated with DCD.