Motor cortex gene expression during learning of a motor skill

The learning of motor skills requires plastic changes in motor regions of the brain including motor cortex. Motor learning can therefore be regarded as a model system for investigating cortical plasticity. It is known that consolidation of a motor skill requires protein synthesis in motor cortex that happens after the training (Luft et al. J Neurosci 2004, 24:6515). To elucidate which proteins are being synthesized, microarray genechips (Affymetrix, High Wycombe, UK) were used to screen for up- or downregulated genes at three different time points after a 30-min training session (1h, 7h, 24h) of a skilled forelimb reaching movement in rat. Trained rats were compared to rats exposed to identical conditions (handling, cage, feeding) with the exception of forelimb use. ArrayAssist software (Affymetrix) was used to compare the intensities of gene signals on the chip. Multiclass ANOVA with Benjamin-Hochberg (FDR) correction was used to determine significance of gene regulation. Genes were identified using a threshold for probability (p