title: Regional inflation of the thalamus and globus pallidus in diving players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several recent studies have identified structural changes in the cerebral cortex that occur with extensive motor training. However, limited studies have been conducted to explore the structural changes of subcortical structures, which are thought to play important roles in motor functioning. This study aims to localize the shape differences of the subcortical structures between the diving players and the nonathlete group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve professional players with top-level diving skills and 12 age- and education-matched healthy controls without any training experience were scanned with a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging. Data were processed using FSL-FIRST, a model-based segmentation and registration tool.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the nonathlete group, we found significant regional inflation in the bilateral thalamus and the left globus pallidus in diving players.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although we cannot rule out the effect of predispositions, the regional inflation of the thalamus and globus pallidus might reflect the experience-dependent plasticity because of extensive diving training.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yuanchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gaoxia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Junjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.forename: Youfa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Tianzi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004242:Diving; D005260:Female; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009929:Organ Size; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*