Juggling enhances connections in the brain
12 October 2009
Researchers from the University of Oxford scanned the brains of volunteers who learned to juggle over a six-week period. They found changes in the brain's white matter in regions associated with reaching, grasping and peripheral vision.
"We tend to think of the brain as being static, or even beginning to degenerate, once we reach adulthood," said Dr Heidi Johansen-Berg, a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow at the University of Oxford, who led the study.
"In fact we find the structure of the brain is ripe for change. We've shown that it is possible for the brain to condition its own wiring system to operate more efficiently."
"Knowing that pathways in the brain can be enhanced may be significant in the long run in coming up with new treatments for neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, where these pathways become degraded."
The researchers used a newly developed form of magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 48 adult volunteers, none of whom could juggle. Half the participants were given weekly training sessions in juggling for six weeks and asked to practice for 30 minutes each day.
Each of the participants demonstrated varying ability at juggling, but all those who received training showed changes in white matter, suggesting this was down to the time spent training and practising rather than the level of skill attained.
"This doesn't mean that everyone should go out and start juggling to improve their brains. We chose juggling purely as a complex new skill for people to learn," said Dr Johansen-Berg.
"But there is a 'use it or lose it' school of thought, in which any way of keeping the brain working is a good thing, such as going for a walk or doing a crossword.'
The white matter of our central nervous system is made up of bundles of long nerve fibres that conduct electrical signals between nerve cells and connect different parts of the brain together. In contrast, the grey matter consists of the nerve cell bodies involved in processing and computation.
Previous studies have demonstrated changes in grey matter following new experiences and learning, but this is the first time that scientists have seen changes in white matter.
The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council.
Image: Juggling Credit: padraicwoods on Flickr
Reference
Scholz J et al. Training induces changes in white-matter architecture. Nature Neuroscience 2009 [Epub ahead of print].