Learning-related gray and white matter changes in humans: an update.
In contrast to a long-held view that structural brain plasticity is restricted to critical periods during ontogenesis, it is now well established that the adult human brain preserves its capacity for functional and structural changes throughout life. Although early experimental studies were mainly performed in animals, technical developments especially in the field of MRI enabled the non-invasive observation of functional and structural reorganization in the human brain. This article reports recent insights in human brain plasticity with particular emphasis on (dynamic) learning-related structural gray and white matter changes and its behavioral correlates.
Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
Marco
M
Taubert
Arno
A
Villringer
Patrick
P
Ragert
D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*