Interindividual differences in gray and white matter properties are associated with early complex motor skill acquisition.

ABSTRACT: Brain circuits mediate but also constrain experience-induced plasticity and corresponding behavioral changes. Here we tested whether interindividual behavioral differences in learning a challenging new motor skill correlate with variations in brain anatomy. Young, healthy participants were scanned using structural magnetic resonance imaging (T1-weighted MPRAGE, n = 75 and/or diffusion-weighted MRI, n = 59) and practiced a complex whole-body balancing task on a seesaw-like platform. Using conjunction tests based on the nonparametric combination (NPC) methodology, we found that gray matter volume (GMV) in the right orbitrofrontal cortex was positively related to the subjects' initial level of proficiency and their ability to improve performance during practice. Similarly, we obtained a stron

SUBMITTER: Lehmann N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6865641 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature