Joint activation of the supplementary motor area and presupplementary motor area during simultaneous motor and language functional MRI

Recent research showed that the supplementary motor area (SMA) can be divided into a rostral pre-SMA, involved in higher-level processing and a caudal SMA proper, involved with motor execution. As surgical insults to the medial frontal lobes may cause variable neurological deficits and an incomplete understanding of structure–function relationships of the SMA exists, we sought to determine whether a common locus of functionality can be established using functional MRI. Results reveal a commonly activated region between these two areas, using simultaneous motor and language tasks. A higher percentage signal change was measured in comparison with those found using individual tasks. Results contribute to the structural and functional knowledge of the SMA and may enable distinction between permanent and transient SMA syndromes.