Rapid and specific gray matter changes in M1 induced by balance training
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Rapid and specific gray matter changes in M1 induced by balance training. / Taubert, Marco; Mehnert, Jan; Pleger, Burkhard; Villringer, Arno.
In: NEUROIMAGE, Vol. 133, 2016, p. 399-407.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Rapid and specific gray matter changes in M1 induced by balance training
AU - Taubert, Marco
AU - Mehnert, Jan
AU - Pleger, Burkhard
AU - Villringer, Arno
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Abstract Training-induced changes in cortical structure can be observed non-invasively with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While macroscopic changes were found mainly after weeks to several months of training in humans, imaging of motor cortical networks in animals revealed rapid microstructural alterations after a few hours of training. We used MRI to test the hypothesis of immediate and specific training-induced alterations in motor cortical gray matter in humans. We found localized increases in motor cortical thickness after 1 h of practice in a complex balancing task. These changes were specific to motor cortical effector representations primarily responsible for balance control in our task (lower limb and trunk) and these effects could be confirmed in a replication study. Cortical thickness changes (i) linearly increased across the training session, (ii) occurred independent of alterations in resting cerebral blood flow and (iii) were not triggered by repetitive use of the lower limbs. Our findings show that motor learning triggers rapid and specific gray matter changes in M1.
AB - Abstract Training-induced changes in cortical structure can be observed non-invasively with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While macroscopic changes were found mainly after weeks to several months of training in humans, imaging of motor cortical networks in animals revealed rapid microstructural alterations after a few hours of training. We used MRI to test the hypothesis of immediate and specific training-induced alterations in motor cortical gray matter in humans. We found localized increases in motor cortical thickness after 1 h of practice in a complex balancing task. These changes were specific to motor cortical effector representations primarily responsible for balance control in our task (lower limb and trunk) and these effects could be confirmed in a replication study. Cortical thickness changes (i) linearly increased across the training session, (ii) occurred independent of alterations in resting cerebral blood flow and (iii) were not triggered by repetitive use of the lower limbs. Our findings show that motor learning triggers rapid and specific gray matter changes in M1.
KW - MRI
KW - Learning
KW - Balance
KW - Plasticity
KW - Rapid
KW - Cortical thickness
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.017
DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.017
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
VL - 133
SP - 399
EP - 407
JO - NEUROIMAGE
JF - NEUROIMAGE
SN - 1053-8119
ER -