학술논문
Assessing brain neuroplasticity: Surface morphometric analysis of cortical changes induced by Quadrato motor training.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Spani F; Department of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and One Health, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.; Carducci F; Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome (IT), Rome, Italy.; Piervincenzi C; Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.; Ben-Soussan TD; Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics (RINED), Patrizio Paoletti Foundation, Assisi, Italy.; Mallio CA; Department of Medicine and Surgery, Research Unit of Diagnostic Imaging, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.; Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Operative Research Unit of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Rome, Italy.; Quattrocchi CC; Centre for Medical Sciences-CISMed, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
Source
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0137162 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1469-7580 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00218782 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Anat Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Morphological markers for brain plasticity are still lacking and their findings are challenged by the extreme variability of cortical brain surface. Trying to overcome the "correspondence problem," we applied a landmark-free method (the generalized procrustes surface analysis (GPSA)) for investigating the shape variation of cortical surface in a group of 40 healthy volunteers (i.e., the practice group) subjected to daily motor training known as Quadrato motor training (QMT). QMT is a sensorimotor walking meditation that aims at balancing body, cognition, and emotion. More specifically, QMT requires coordination and attention and consists of moving in one of three possible directions on corners of a 50 × 50 cm 2 . Brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of practice group (acquired at baseline, as well as after 6 and 12 weeks of QMT), were 3D reconstructed and here compared with brain MRIs of six more volunteers never practicing the QMT (naïve group). Cortical regions mostly affected by morphological variations were visualized on a 3D average color-scaled brain surface indicating from higher (red) to lower (blue) levels of variation. Cortical regions interested in most of the shape variations were as follows: (1) the supplementary motor cortex; (2) the inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercolaris) and the anterior insula; (3) the visual cortex; (4) the inferior parietal lobule (supramarginal gyrus and angular gyrus). Our results show that surface morphometric analysis (i.e., GPSA) can be applied to assess brain neuroplasticity processes, such as those stimulated by QMT.
(© 2024 Anatomical Society.)
(© 2024 Anatomical Society.)