Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques have made it possible to investigate white matter plasticity in humans. Changes in DTI measures, principally increases in fractional anisotropy (FA), have been observed following training programs as diverse as juggling, meditation, and working memory. Here, we sought to test whether three months of reasoning training could alter white matter microstructure. We recruited participants (n = 23) who were enrolled in a course to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a test that places strong demands on reasoning skills, as well as age- and IQ-matched controls planning to take the LSAT in the future (n = 22). DTI data were collected at two scan sessions scheduled three months apart. In trained participants but not controls, we observed decreases in radial diffusivity (RD) in white matter connecting frontal cortices, and in mean diffusivity (MD) within frontal and parietal lobe white matter. Further, participants exhibiting larger gains on the LSAT exhibited greater decreases in MD in the right internal capsule. In summary, reasoning training altered multiple measures of white matter structure in young adults. While the cellular underpinnings are unknown, these results provide evidence of experience-dependent white matter changes that may not be limited to myelination.
Highlights
Advances in neuroimaging techniques have led to important progress in understanding how brain regions are structurally and functionally connected in the human brain
Law School Admission Test (LSAT) improvement was significantly correlated with the reasoning subtest scores (LG: R = 0.85, P = 0.0002; LR: R = 0.68, P = 0.01), but not with RC (R = 0.5, P = 0.08), suggesting that changes in LSAT scores were driven by reasoning gains
In this study, we sought to test whether three months of reasoning training altered white matter microstructure
Summary
Advances in neuroimaging techniques have led to important progress in understanding how brain regions are structurally and functionally connected in the human brain. Much of this knowledge has been obtained from cross-sectional studies, which provide only a snapshot of an individual’s brain at a single point in time. We provide evidence for experience-dependent changes in white matter microstructure among young adults participating in intensive cognitive training. White matter microstructure can be investigated in vivo using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Water diffusing in any given white matter voxel encounters axons (which contain dense cytoskeletons, are bounded by cellular membranes, and are surrounded by myelin) and glial cells. Changes in unmyelinated axons, and the number and/or size of glia, could alter diffusion
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