Learning-related contraction of gray matter in rodent sensorimotor cortex is associated with adaptive myelination.

ABSTRACT: From observations in rodents, it has been suggested that the cellular basis of learning-dependent changes, detected using structural MRI, may be increased dendritic spine density, alterations in astrocyte volume, and adaptations within intracortical myelin. Myelin plasticity is crucial for neurological function, and active myelination is required for learning and memory. However, the dynamics of myelin plasticity and how it relates to morphometric-based measurements of structural plasticity remains unknown. We used a motor skill learning paradigm in male mice to evaluate experience-dependent brain plasticity by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in longitudinal MRI, combined with a cross-sectional immunohistochemical investigation. Whole-brain VBM revealed nonlinear decreases in gray matter vol

SUBMITTER: Mediavilla T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9678357 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature