Motor Learning Changes Brain's White Matter
Recent research shows that motor learning can induce myelin-related changes in the brain's white matter. The study, using MRI-based histology, provides evidence for the brain's plasticity in response to physical practice. This reinforces the role of movement-based interventions in developing and strengthening executive function skills.
- White matter is composed of bundles of axons coated in myelin, a fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers and increases the speed of electrical signal transmission up to 150 times. - The prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia are key brain regions involved in the development of both motor skills and executive functions. - Human studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have demonstrated increases in white matter density in individuals who have learned complex motor skills such as juggling. - Physical activity boosts neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which are crucial for attention and focus and are often targeted by ADHD medications. - The process of myelination is carried out by specialized glial cells called oligodendrocytes, and learning a new motor task can trigger these cells to produce new myelin sheaths. - Research has shown a positive correlation between fundamental motor skills and executive functions such as inhibitory control and working memory in children. - One study on visuomotor skill training found that a slower rate of learning was associated with a greater increase in myelin, suggesting that the process of acquiring the skill is important for brain plasticity. - Myelination is a process that continues into early adulthood, with the frontal regions of the brain, responsible for higher-level executive functions, being the last to fully myelinate.
