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Training induces changes in white-matter architecture

Nature Neuroscience volume 12, pages 1370–1371 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Although experience-dependent structural changes have been found in adult gray matter, there is little evidence for such changes in white matter. Using diffusion imaging, we detected a localized increase in fractional anisotropy, a measure of microstructure, in white matter underlying the intraparietal sulcus following training of a complex visuo-motor skill. This provides, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence for training-related changes in white-matter structure in the healthy human adult brain.

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Figure 1: Fractional anisotropy increases after juggling training.
Figure 2: Gray-matter density increases after juggling training.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Anderson, M. Jenkinson, G. Douaud and M. Woolrich for technical assistance, M. Rushworth for useful discussions on functional anatomy, R. Mars for providing additional control data, and M. Mangham for juggling support. We are grateful for financial support from the Wellcome Trust (H.J.-B. and J.S.) and the UK Medical Research Council (J.S. and T.E.J.B.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Oxford, UK

    Jan Scholz, Miriam C Klein, Timothy E J Behrens & Heidi Johansen-Berg

  2. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Miriam C Klein & Timothy E J Behrens

Authors
  1. Jan Scholz
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  2. Miriam C Klein
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  3. Timothy E J Behrens
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  4. Heidi Johansen-Berg
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Contributions

J.S. and H.J.-B. designed the study. J.S. and M.C.K. collected and analyzed the data. H.J.B. supervised the project. T.E.J.B. provided assistance with data analysis and interpretation. J.S. wrote the manuscript and all of the authors edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jan Scholz.

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Supplementary Text and Figures

Supplementary Figures 1–5, Supplementary Table 1, Supplementary Methods, Supplementary Results and Supplementary Discussion (PDF 2315 kb)

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Scholz, J., Klein, M., Behrens, T. et al. Training induces changes in white-matter architecture. Nat Neurosci 12, 1370–1371 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2412

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