Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Neuroimage. 2010 Oct 1;52(4):1667-76. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.05.041. Epub 2010 May 24.
The brain's ability to alter its functional and structural architecture in response to experience and learning has been extensively studied. Mental stimulation might serve as a reserve mechanism in brain aging, but macrostructural brain changes in response to cognitive training have been demonstrated in young participants only. We examined the short-term effects of an intensive memory training program on cognition and brain structure in middle-aged and elderly healthy volunteers. The memory trainers completed an 8-week training regimen aimed at improving verbal source memory utilizing the Method of Loci (MoL), while control participants did not receive any intervention. Both the memory trainers and the controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and memory testing pre and post 8 weeks of training or no training, respectively. Cortical thickness was automatically measured across the cortical mantle, and data processing and statistical analyses were optimized for reliable detection of longitudinal changes. The results showed that memory training improved source memory performance. Memory trainers also showed regional increases in cortical thickness compared with controls. Furthermore, thickness change in the right fusiform and lateral orbitofrontal cortex correlated positively with improvement in source memory performance, suggesting a possible functional significance of the structural changes. These findings demonstrate that systematic mental exercise may induce short-term structural changes in the aging human brain, indicating structural brain plasticity in elderly. The present study included short-term assessments, and follow-up studies are needed in order to assess whether such training indeed alters the long-term structural trajectories.
大脑能够根据经验和学习改变其功能和结构架构，这已经得到了广泛的研究。精神刺激可能是大脑衰老的储备机制，但只有在年轻参与者中才观察到认知训练对大脑宏观结构的影响。我们研究了一项密集记忆训练计划对中年和老年健康志愿者认知和大脑结构的短期影响。记忆训练者完成了为期 8 周的训练方案，旨在利用地点法（Method of Loci，MoL）提高言语来源记忆，而对照组则没有接受任何干预。记忆训练者和对照组都接受了磁共振成像（MRI）扫描和记忆测试，分别在 8 周的训练或无训练前后进行。皮质厚度在皮质被膜上自动测量，数据处理和统计分析针对可靠检测纵向变化进行了优化。结果表明，记忆训练提高了来源记忆的表现。与对照组相比，记忆训练者的皮质厚度也出现了区域性增加。此外，右侧梭状回和外侧眶额皮质的厚度变化与来源记忆表现的改善呈正相关，这表明结构变化可能具有功能意义。这些发现表明，系统的心理锻炼可能会引起衰老人类大脑的短期结构变化，表明老年人的大脑具有结构可塑性。本研究包括短期评估，需要进行随访研究，以评估这种训练是否确实会改变长期的结构轨迹。
