Ito Takehito, Matsuda Tetsuya, Shimojo Shinsuke
Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University 6-1-1 Tamagawa Gakuen, Machida, Tokyo, 194-8610, Japan ; Molecular Neuroimaging Program, Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University 6-1-1 Tamagawa Gakuen, Machida, Tokyo, 194-8610, Japan.
Brain Behav. 2015 May;5(5):e00333. doi: 10.1002/brb3.333. Epub 2015 Mar 25.
Stenography, or shorthand, is a unique set of skills that involves intensive training which is nearly life-long and orchestrating various brain functional modules, including auditory, linguistic, cognitive, mnemonic, and motor. Stenography provides cognitive neuroscientists with a unique opportunity to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the neural plasticity that enables such a high degree of expertise. However, shorthand is quickly being replaced with voice recognition technology. We took this nearly final opportunity to scan the brains of the last alive shorthand experts of the Japanese language.
Thirteen right-handed stenographers and fourteen right-handed controls participated in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.
The fMRI data revealed plastic reorganization of the neural circuits around the putamen. The acquisition of expert skills was accompanied by structural and functional changes in the area. The posterior putamen is known as the execution center of acquired sensorimotor skills. Compared to nonexperts, the posterior putamen in stenographers had high covariation with the cerebellum and midbrain.The stenographers' brain developed different neural circuits from those of the nonexpert brain.
The current data illustrate the vigorous plasticity in the putamen and in its connectivity to other relevant areas in the expert brain. This is a case of vigorous neural plastic reorganization in response to massive overtraining, which is rare especially considering that it occurred in adulthood.
速记，即速写法，是一套独特的技能，需要近乎终身的强化训练，并协调包括听觉、语言、认知、记忆和运动在内的各种大脑功能模块。速记为认知神经科学家提供了一个独特的机会，来研究实现如此高度专业技能的神经可塑性背后的神经机制。然而，速记正迅速被语音识别技术所取代。我们利用这个几乎是最后的机会，对日本现存的最后一批速记专家的大脑进行了扫描。
13名右利手速记员和14名右利手对照者参与了功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究。
fMRI数据显示壳核周围神经回路的可塑性重组。专家技能的获得伴随着该区域的结构和功能变化。后壳核被认为是后天感觉运动技能的执行中心。与非专家相比，速记员的后壳核与小脑和中脑有高度的协变关系。速记员的大脑形成了与非专家大脑不同的神经回路。
目前的数据表明，壳核及其与专家大脑中其他相关区域的连接具有很强的可塑性。这是一个因大量过度训练而导致的强大神经可塑性重组的案例，尤其是考虑到这种情况发生在成年期，这是很罕见的。
