Anat Cell Biol.  2015 Dec;48(4):262-267. 10.5115/acb.2015.48.4.262.

White matter plasticity in the cerebellum of elite basketball athletes

• Park IS
• Lee YN
• Kwon S
• Lee NJ
• Rhyu IJ

• KMID: 2133266
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5115/acb.2015.48.4.262

Abstract

Recent neuroimaging studies indicate that learning a novel motor skill induces plastic changes in the brain structures of both gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) that are associated with a specific practice. We previously reported an increased volume of vermian lobules VI-VII (declive, folium, and tuber) in elite basketball athletes who require coordination for dribbling and shooting a ball, which awakened the central role of the cerebellum in motor coordination. However, the precise factor contributing to the increased volume was not determined. In the present study, we compared the volumes of the GM and WM in the sub-regions of the cerebellar vermis based on manual voxel analysis with the ImageJ program. We found significantly larger WM volumes of vermian lobules VI-VII (declive, folium, and tuber) in elite basketball athletes in response to long-term intensive motor learning. We suggest that the larger WM volumes of this region in elite basketball athletes represent a motor learning-induced plastic change, and that the WM of this region likely plays a critical role in coordination. This finding will contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of motor learning-evoked WM plasticity.

Keyword

Coordination; Motor learning; Magnetic resonance imaging; Vermis

MeSH Terms

Athletes*
Basketball*
Brain
Cerebellum*
Humans
Learning
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Motor Skills
Neuroimaging
Plastics*
Plastics

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Edited screen capture obtained during pixel counting to analyze gray matter and white matter with the ImageJ program. The region of interest area was marked using the free drawing tool in sagittal view (left image). The "Analyze-Histogram" menu gives the pixel density value as a separate window (right image). A valley observed in the histogram represents the cut-off point between gray matter and white matter. The detailed value can be copied by clicking the "copy" button (arrow) and was then pasted into an Excel program for further analyses.

Reference

1. Scholz J, Klein MC, Behrens TE, Johansen-Berg H. Training induces changes in white-matter architecture. Nat Neurosci. 2009; 12:1370–1371.

2. Wang X, Casadio M, Weber KA 2nd, Mussa-Ivaldi FA, Parrish TB. White matter microstructure changes induced by motor skill learning utilizing a body machine interface. Neuroimage. 2013; 88C:32–40.

3. Landi SM, Baguear F, Della-Maggiore V. One week of motor adaptation induces structural changes in primary motor cortex that predict long-term memory one year later. J Neurosci. 2011; 31:11808–11813.

4. Taubert M, Draganski B, Anwander A, Müller K, Horstmann A, Villringer A, Ragert P. Dynamic properties of human brain structure: learning-related changes in cortical areas and associated fiber connections. J Neurosci. 2010; 30:11670–11677.

5. Park IS, Lee KJ, Han JW, Lee NJ, Lee WT, Park KA, Rhyu IJ. Experience-dependent plasticity of cerebellar vermis in basketball players. Cerebellum. 2009; 8:334–339.

6. Jacini WF, Cannonieri GC, Fernandes PT, Bonilha L, Cendes F, Li LM. Can exercise shape your brain? Cortical differences associated with judo practice. J Sci Med Sport. 2009; 12:688–690.

7. Jancke L, Koeneke S, Hoppe A, Rominger C, Hänggi J. The architecture of the golfer's brain. PLoS One. 2009; 4:e4785.

8. Di X, Zhu S, Jin H, Wang P, Ye Z, Zhou K, Zhuo Y, Rao H. Altered resting brain function and structure in professional badminton players. Brain Connect. 2012; 2:225–233.

9. Hänggi J, Koeneke S, Bezzola L, Jäncke L. Structural neuroplasticity in the sensorimotor network of professional female ballet dancers. Hum Brain Mapp. 2010; 31:1196–1206.

10. Wang B, Fan Y, Lu M, Li S, Song Z, Peng X, Zhang R, Lin Q, He Y, Wang J, Huang R. Brain anatomical networks in world class gymnasts: a DTI tractography study. Neuroimage. 2013; 65:476–487.

11. Johansen-Berg H, Della-Maggiore V, Behrens TE, Smith SM, Paus T. Integrity of white matter in the corpus callosum correlates with bimanual co-ordination skills. Neuroimage. 2007; 36:Suppl 2. T16–T21.

12. Ito M. Mechanisms of motor learning in the cerebellum. Brain Res. 2000; 886:237–245.

13. Thach WT. What is the role of the cerebellum in motor learning and cognition? Trends Cogn Sci. 1998; 2:331–337.

14. Quallo MM, Price CJ, Ueno K, Asamizuya T, Cheng K, Lemon RN, Iriki A. Gray and white matter changes associated with tool-use learning in macaque monkeys. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106:18379–18384.

15. Abdul-Kareem IA, Stancak A, Parkes LM, Al-Ameen M, Alghamdi J, Aldhafeeri FM, Embleton K, Morris D, Sluming V. Plasticity of the superior and middle cerebellar peduncles in musicians revealed by quantitative analysis of volume and number of streamlines based on diffusion tensor tractography. Cerebellum. 2011; 10:611–623.

16. Tomassini V, Jbabdi S, Kincses ZT, Bosnell R, Douaud G, Pozzilli C, Matthews PM, Johansen-Berg H. Structural and functional bases for individual differences in motor learning. Hum Brain Mapp. 2011; 32:494–508.

17. Roberts RE, Bain PG, Day BL, Husain M. Individual differences in expert motor coordination associated with white matter microstructure in the cerebellum. Cereb Cortex. 2013; 23:2282–2292.

18. Fields RD. Neuroscience. Change in the brain's white matter. Science. 2010; 330:768–769.

19. Zatorre RJ, Fields RD, Johansen-Berg H. Plasticity in gray and white: neuroimaging changes in brain structure during learning. Nat Neurosci. 2012; 15:528–536.

20. Fields RD. White matter in learning, cognition and psychiatric disorders. Trends Neurosci. 2008; 31:361–370.

21. Juraska JM, Kopcik JR. Sex and environmental influences on the size and ultrastructure of the rat corpus callosum. Brain Res. 1988; 450:1–8.

22. Markham JA, Greenough WT. Experience-driven brain plasticity: beyond the synapse. Neuron Glia Biol. 2004; 1:351–363.

23. Markham JA, Herting MM, Luszpak AE, Juraska JM, Greenough WT. Myelination of the corpus callosum in male and female rats following complex environment housing during adulthood. Brain Res. 2009; 1288:9–17.

24. Sirevaag AM, Greenough WT. Differential rearing effects on rat visual cortex synapses. III. Neuronal and glial nuclei, boutons, dendrites, and capillaries. Brain Res. 1987; 424:320–332.

25. Szeligo F, Leblond CP. Response of the three main types of glial cells of cortex and corpus callosum in rats handled during suckling or exposed to enriched, control and impoverished environments following weaning. J Comp Neurol. 1977; 172:247–263.

26. Zhao YY, Shi XY, Qiu X, Lu W, Yang S, Li C, Chen L, Zhang L, Cheng GH, Tang Y. Enriched environment increases the myelinated nerve fibers of aged rat corpus callosum. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2012; 295:999–1005.

27. Sanchez I, Hassinger L, Paskevich PA, Shine HD, Nixon RA. Oligodendroglia regulate the regional expansion of axon caliber and local accumulation of neurofilaments during development independently of myelin formation. J Neurosci. 1996; 16:5095–5105.

28. Als H, Duffy FH, McAnulty GB, Rivkin MJ, Vajapeyam S, Mulkern RV, Warfield SK, Huppi PS, Butler SC, Conneman N, Fischer C, Eichenwald EC. Early experience alters brain function and structure. Pediatrics. 2004; 113:846–857.

29. Hihara S, Notoya T, Tanaka M, Ichinose S, Ojima H, Obayashi S, Fujii N, Iriki A. Extension of corticocortical afferents into the anterior bank of the intraparietal sulcus by tool-use training in adult monkeys. Neuropsychologia. 2006; 44:2636–2646.

30. Demerens C, Stankoff B, Logak M, Anglade P, Allinquant B, Couraud F, Zalc B, Lubetzki C. Induction of myelination in the central nervous system by electrical activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996; 93:9887–9892.

31. Ishibashi T, Dakin KA, Stevens B, Lee PR, Kozlov SV, Stewart CL, Fields RD. Astrocytes promote myelination in response to electrical impulses. Neuron. 2006; 49:823–832.

32. Hutchinson S, Lee LH, Gaab N, Schlaug G. Cerebellar volume of musicians. Cereb Cortex. 2003; 13:943–949.