Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
Tomography. 2022 Mar 21;8(2):858-868. doi: 10.3390/tomography8020070.
Learning a skill has been demonstrated to relate to neural plasticity in both animal and human brains. Performing diabolo consists of different tricks and may cause brain structural changes associated with psychophysical functions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes associated with psychophysical functions induced by diabolo training in healthy subjects. Fourteen healthy right-handed male subjects were enrolled to receive the diabolo training. Whole brain T1-weighted images and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were acquired from all subjects on a 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner before and after the training. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), surface-based morphometry (SBM), and voxel-wise DTI analysis were carried out to detect the GM volume, cortical thickness, and WM diffusion changes using T1-weighted image and DTI data, respectively. In addition, two-arm coordination and mirror-drawing tests were performed to evaluate their psychophysical functions before and after 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of training. Analysis of variance was performed to understand whether the psychophysical functions changed over time after the training. The results showed that the psychophysical functions were significantly changed over time during the training. The VBM and SBM analyses revealed that the GM volume and cortical thickness were significantly increased in the brain areas associated with visual, motor, sensory, and spatial cognition functions. The voxel-wise DTI analysis further demonstrated that the mean diffusivity was significantly reduced in the genu of corpus callosum. Moreover, significant correlations were revealed between the increase rate of GM volume and the improvement rate of psychophysical functions in the left angular gyrus. The results suggest that the diabolo training may induce increased GM volume associated with improved psychophysical function in the brain region involved in spatial cognition and attention. Therefore, we conclude that the diabolo training may improve psychophysical function which might be reflected by the increased GM volume in the angular gyrus.
学习技能已被证明与动物和人类大脑中的神经可塑性有关。玩空竹包括不同的技巧，可能会导致与心理物理功能相关的大脑结构变化。因此，本研究的目的是探讨空竹训练引起的健康受试者心理物理功能相关的灰质（GM）和白质（WM）变化。招募了 14 名健康的右利手男性受试者接受空竹训练。所有受试者在 3.0T 磁共振扫描仪上接受训练前后的全脑 T1 加权图像和弥散张量成像（DTI）数据采集。使用 T1 加权图像和 DTI 数据进行基于体素的形态测量学（VBM）、基于表面的形态测量学（SBM）和体素级 DTI 分析，分别检测 GM 体积、皮质厚度和 WM 扩散变化。此外，还进行了双臂协调和镜像绘图测试，以评估他们在训练前和训练后 2、4、6 和 8 周的心理物理功能。方差分析用于了解训练后心理物理功能是否随时间变化。结果表明，训练期间心理物理功能随时间显著变化。VBM 和 SBM 分析显示，与视觉、运动、感觉和空间认知功能相关的大脑区域的 GM 体积和皮质厚度明显增加。体素级 DTI 分析进一步表明，胼胝体膝部的平均弥散度显著降低。此外，还发现 GM 体积增加率与左角回心理物理功能改善率之间存在显著相关性。结果表明，空竹训练可能会导致与空间认知和注意力相关的大脑区域 GM 体积增加，从而改善心理物理功能。因此，我们得出结论，空竹训练可能会改善心理物理功能，这可能反映在角回 GM 体积的增加上。
