Experience-dependent plasticity of white-matter microstructure extends into old age
Open accessAbstract
Experience-dependent alterations in the human brain's white-matter microstructure occur in early adulthood, but it is unknown whether such plasticity extends throughout life. We used cognitive training, diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), and structural MRI to investigate plasticity of the white-matter tracts that connect the left and right hemisphere of the frontal lobes. Over a period of about 180 days, 20 younger adults and 12 older adults trained for a total of one hundred and one 1-h sessions on a set of three working memory, three episodic memory, and six perceptual speed tasks. Control groups were assessed at pre- and post-test. Training affected several DTI metrics and increased the area of the anterior part of the corpus callosum. These alterations were of similar magnitude in younger and older adults. The findings indicate that experience-dependent plasticity of white-matter microstructure extends into old age and that disruptions of structural interhemispheric connectivity in old age, which are pronounced in aging, are modifiable by experience and amenable to treatment.
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Results indicated training-associated changes in frontal and parietal white matter tracts or the corpus callosum.
“Results indicated training-associated changes in frontal and parietal white matter tracts [30, 33] or the corpus callosum [31].”
From Adaptive working memory training does not produce transfer effects in cognition and neuroimaging (2022) · cites this paper as [31]
Only a few studies have investigated changes in structural connectivity following WM training.
“Similarly, only a few studies have investigated changes in structural connectivity, that is, neural tracts, following WM training [30–33].”
From Adaptive working memory training does not produce transfer effects in cognition and neuroimaging (2022) · cites this paper as [31]
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Background
- Authors
- Lövdén, M., Bodammer, N. C., Kühn, S., Kaufmann, J., Schütze, H., Tempelmann, C., Heinze, H.-J., Düzel, E., Schmiedek, F., & Lindenberger, U.
- Affiliations
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development (DE)
- Ghent University (BE)
- Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (DE)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Lövdén, Martin
- ORCID
- Venue
- Neuropsychologia
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-11
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 3878-3883
- ISSN
- 0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2137334935
- Cited by
- 222
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 12.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- DZNE Pub (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Publication Server of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Goethe University Frankfurt) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- experience-dependent plasticity, white matter microstructure, cognitive training, corpus callosum, interhemispheric connectivity, aging, older adults, working memory, episodic memory, perceptual speed, diffusion tensor imaging, structural MRI
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aging, Analysis of Variance, Choice Behavior, Corpus Callosum, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Mental Recall, Anisotropy
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