Structural and Functional Brain Plasticity in Children with Motor Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding the plasticity of cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar networks is essential for clarifying the neural architecture underlying motor disorders in childhood. Recent advances in neuroimaging and neurophysiology have made it possible to detect subtle structural and functional changes in children with early brain injuries or atypical motor development. These methodological improvements have also highlighted how such networks may reorganize in response to intensive rehabilitation interventions, offering valuable opportunities to investigate the mechanisms that support recovery and adaptation.

A major challenge in the current field lies in determining how the reorganization of cortico-subcortical and cerebellar systems influences the functional re-education of specific motor and cognitive abilities. Addressing this issue is crucial for developing more targeted, personalized, and effective rehabilitation strategies.

This Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of brain plasticity in children with motor disorders by bringing together contributions that examine neural changes associated with both typical development and rehabilitative processes. By integrating findings from neuroscience, clinical practice, and rehabilitation research, this Special Issue seeks to provide new insights and generate innovative hypotheses regarding the neural mechanisms that can shape and potentially modify developmental trajectories in this population.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Background & history of this topic: Research on motor disorders in childhood has long sought to understand how early brain injury, atypical neurodevelopment, or disrupted sensorimotor experiences shape the architecture of the developing nervous system. Historically, studies have primarily focused on identifying structural lesions and their relationship with motor impairments, particularly in conditions such as cerebral palsy and, later, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). However, advances in neuroimaging, neurophysiology, and computational modeling over the past two decades have shifted attention toward the dynamic nature of the developing brain and its capacity for reorganization.

The concept of neural plasticity—once considered a predominantly early-life phenomenon—has evolved to encompass complex patterns of structural and functional adaptation that persist throughout childhood. Modern techniques such as diffusion imaging, functional MRI, EEG connectivity, and network analyses have revealed that motor deficits in children are often linked not only to focal lesions but to alterations in large-scale cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar networks.

Simultaneously, the field of pediatric rehabilitation has increasingly leveraged intensive, task-specific, and technology-assisted interventions, providing unique opportunities to study how brain networks respond to training. This convergence of network neuroscience and rehabilitation science has opened new pathways for identifying biomarkers, predicting outcomes, and tailoring interventions to individual developmental trajectories.

Aim and scope of the Special Issue: This Special Issue aims to advance the understanding of structural and functional brain plasticity in children with motor disorders, with a particular focus on the neural networks that support motor and cognitive functions and their capacity for reorganization. By integrating evidence from neuroimaging, neurophysiology, computational modeling, and rehabilitation science, this Special Issue seeks to highlight how alterations and adaptations in cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar circuits contribute to both motor impairments and recovery processes.

We invite contributions that explore the characterization of brain networks, their developmental trajectories, and their responsiveness to intensive or innovative rehabilitation programs. Studies examining biomarkers of plasticity, predictors of treatment response, or mechanisms underlying motor learning and cognitive–motor integration in pediatric populations are particularly welcome.

Cutting-edge research:

1. Multimodal Network Mapping of Pediatric Brain Plasticity. Advanced integration of fMRI, DTI, MEG/EEG, and TMS to characterize how cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar networks reorganize in children with motor disorders.
2. Biomarkers and Predictors of Treatment Response. Identification of neurophysiological and neuroimaging biomarkers (e.g., connectivity signatures, oscillatory markers, MEP profiles) that predict responsiveness to intensive or innovative rehabilitation.
3. Computational and Modeling of Motor Circuit Reorganization. Use of computational neuroscience and machine learning to model altered motor networks, simulate plasticity mechanisms, and personalize therapeutic interventions.
4. Neural Impact of Technology-Enhanced Rehabilitation. Investigation of how robotics, VR/AR, exoskeletons, neuromodulation, and BCI-based training promote functional reorganization and motor recovery in pediatric populations.
5. Cognitive–Motor Integration and Developmental Trajectories. Studies on the development of sensorimotor and executive networks, and how early motor impairments reshape cognitive–motor integration and long-term neural trajectories.

What kind of papers we are soliciting: We invite original research articles, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, and methodological papers that advance the understanding of structural and functional brain plasticity in children with motor disorders.

Dr. Antonino Errante
Guest Editor

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