The Comparison of the Cerebral Motor Area Activation between Diagonal and Straight Exercises of the Lower Extremity -A Case Study-

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare cerebral motor area activation between the diagonal and straight movements of the lower extremity. Methods: The subjects of this study consisted of two right-handed adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted to measure brain activation following the diagonal and straight movements of the lower extremity. The primary motor area, premotor area, and supplementary motor area, which are closely related to exercise, were set as the regions of interest. Results: The brain activation by diagonal movement was an average of <TEX>1036±75</TEX> voxel, and brain activation by straight exercise was an average of <TEX>773±55</TEX> voxel. Conclusion: Based on these results, we conclude that the activation of the cerebral motor area is more effective for diagonal movements than for straight movements.