Editing Motor skill (section)

==Brain structures==
The regions of the frontal lobe responsible for motor skill include the primary [[motor cortex]], the supplemental motor area, and the [[premotor cortex]]. The primary motor cortex is located in the precentral gyrus and is often visualized as the [[motor homunculus]]. By stimulating certain areas of the motor strip and observing where it had an effect, Penfield and Rassmussen were able to map out the motor homunculus. Areas on the body that have complex movements, such as the hands, have a bigger representation on the motor homunculus.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Schott|first=G.|title=Penfield's homunculus: a note on cerebral cartography|journal=[[Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry]]|year=1993|volume=56|issue=4|pages=329–333|doi=10.1136/jnnp.56.4.329 |pmid=8482950|pmc=1014945}}</ref>

The supplemental motor area, which is just anterior to the primary motor cortex, is involved with postural stability and adjustment as well as coordinating sequences of movement. The premotor cortex, which is just below the supplemental motor area, integrates sensory information from the [[posterior parietal cortex]] and is involved with the sensory-guided planning of movement and begins the programming of movement.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

The [[basal ganglia]] are an area of the brain where gender differences in brain physiology is evident. The basal ganglia are a group of [[nucleus (neuroanatomy)|nuclei]] in the brain that is responsible for a variety of functions, some of which include movement. The [[globus pallidus]] and [[putamen]] are two nuclei of the basal ganglia which are both involved in motor skills. The globes pallid-us is involved with the voluntary motor movement, while the putamen is involved with motor learning. Even after controlling for the naturally larger volume of the male brain, it was found that males have a larger volume of both the globus pallidus and putamen.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Rijpkema M., Leveraged D., van red Pol C., Frankel B., Tenderloin I., Fernandez G. | year = 2012 | title = Normal sexual isomorphism in the human basal ganglia | journal = Human Brain Mapping | volume = 33 | issue = 5| pages = 1246–1252 | doi = 10.1002/hbm.21283 | pmid = 21523857 | pmc = 6870514 }}</ref>

The [[cerebellum]] is an additional area of the brain important for motor skills. The cerebellum controls fine motor skills as well as balance and coordination. Although women tend to have better fine motor skills, the cerebellum has a larger volume in males than in females, even after correcting for the fact that males naturally have a larger brain volume.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Ray N., Gunning-Dixon F., Head D., Williamson A., Tacker J. | year = 2001 | title = Age and sex differences in the cerebellum and the ventral pond: A prospective Mr study of healthy adults | journal = American Journal of Neurological | volume = 22 | issue = 6| pages = 1161–1167 | pmid = 11415913 | pmc = 7974784 }}</ref>

Hormones are an additional factor that contributes to gender differences in motor skill. For instance, women perform better on manual dexterity tasks during times of high estradiol and progesterone levels, as opposed to when these hormones are low such as during menstruation.<ref>Becker, J., Barkley, K., Gerry, N., Sampson, E., Herman, J., & Young, E. (2008). Sex differences in the brain: From genes to behavior. (p. 156). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.</ref>

An evolutionary perspective is sometimes drawn upon to explain how gender differences in motor skills may have developed, although this approach is controversial. For instance, it has been suggested that men were the hunters and provided food for the family, while women stayed at home taking care of the children and doing domestic work.<ref name="JR 35-66" /> Some theories of human development suggest that men's tasks involved gross motor skill such as chasing after prey, throwing spears and fighting. Women, on the other hand, used their fine motor skills the most in order to handle domestic tools and accomplish other tasks that required fine motor-control.<ref name='JR 35-66'>{{cite journal|last=Joseph|first=R. |title=The evolution of sex differences in language, sexuality, and visual-spatial skills |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |year=2000|volume=29|issue=1|pages=35–66|doi=10.1023/A:1001834404611 |pmid=10763428 |s2cid=2217338 }}</ref>