Teaching an adult brain new tricks: A critical review of evidence for training-dependent structural plasticity in humans
Abstract
A growing number of structural neuroimaging studies have reported significant changes in gray matter density or volume and white matter microstructure in the adult human brain following training. Such reports appear consistent with animal studies of training-dependent structural plasticity showing changes in, for example, dendritic spines. However, given the microscopic nature of these changes in animals and the relatively low spatial resolution of MRI, it is unclear that such changes can be reliably detected in humans. Here, we critically evaluate the robustness of the current evidence in humans, focusing on the specificity, replicability, and the relationship of the reported changes with behavior. We find that limitations of experimental design, statistical methods, and methodological artifacts may underlie many of the reported effects, seriously undermining the evidence for training-dependent structural changes in adult humans. The most robust evidence, showing specificity of structural changes to training, task and brain region, shows changes in anterior hippocampal volume with exercise in elderly participants. We conclude that more compelling evidence and converging data from animal studies is required to substantiate structural changes in the adult human brain with training, especially in the neocortex.
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Voxel-based morphometry studies have been criticized for confounding factors such as differences in cerebral blood flow.
“The main criticism of VBM studies focused on various confounding sources such as differences in blood flow (Franklin et al., 2013) or faulty study designs, statistical methods and methodological artifacts (Thomas and Baker, 2013).”
From Serotonin and neuroplasticity – Links between molecular, functional and structural pathophysiology in depression (2017) · cites this paper as Thomas and Baker, 2013
Voxel-based morphometry studies have also been criticized for faulty designs, statistical methods, and methodological artifacts.
“The main criticism of VBM studies focused on various confounding sources such as differences in blood flow (Franklin et al., 2013) or faulty study designs, statistical methods and methodological artifacts (Thomas and Baker, 2013).”
From Serotonin and neuroplasticity – Links between molecular, functional and structural pathophysiology in depression (2017) · cites this paper as Thomas and Baker, 2013
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- Authors
- Thomas, C., & Baker, C. I.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Thomas, Cibu
- ORCID
- Baker, Chris I.
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-06
- Volume
- 73
- Pages
- 225-236
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2144958108
- Cited by
- 204
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Intramural Research Program of NIMH
- Department of Defense in the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- adult brain plasticity, gray matter density, white matter microstructure, methodological artifacts, replicability, dendritic spines, neocortex, cognitive training
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Behavior, Brain, Brain Mapping, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Learning, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neuronal Plasticity, Psychomotor Performance, Reproducibility of Results, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Signal-To-Noise Ratio, Neuroimaging
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