White matter neuroplasticity and motor learning

白质神经可塑性和运动学习

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04154
• 负责人: Boyd, Lara
• 金额: $ 2.84万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=646100
• 关键词: White; matter; neuroplasticity; motor; learning

The human brain is remarkably neuroplastic, yet most studies have focused nearly exclusively on neuroplasticity in the cortical gray matter. Until recently we thought that white matter structures in the brain had little potential for experience-dependent neuroplastic change. Recent work from rodent models suggests that this is incorrect; however, this question has not been considered in humans. The main hypothesis being tested in the proposed work is that white matter, specifically myelin, is neuroplastic and supports experience dependent change associated with motor learning in the human brain.******White matter makes up 40% of brain tissue. Myelin is a critical structural component in the brain that allows rapid and effective information exchange, yet we know very little about how it supports motor learning. Recent advances in human neuroimaging have enabled the quantification of myelin in vivo in the human brain. Multi-component T2 relaxation imaging (MCRI) is a MRI based imaging approach that allows quantification of the thickness of myelin by mapping water in the lipid bilayers. Critically, MCRI has been histopathologically validated as a measure of myelin content in human brain. ******Recent work from my lab using MCRI showed that myelin thickness increases to support motor learning in young healthy people. Specifically, we discovered a relationship between increased myelin thickness in the intraparietal sulcus and the rate of skill acquisition associated with practice of a motor learning task (Lakhani et al, 2016). Given that ours was the first study to show a relationship between myelin plasticity and motor skill learning in humans numerous questions remain. These form the basis of the current proposal where we will investigate the relationships between myelin plasticity and: motor behaviour, skilled practice and grey matter plasticity.******If as proposed here white matter, specifically myelin, is highly neuroplastic and responsive to varied behavioural manipulations in humans then theories of neuroplasticity will change. This fundamental knowledge will significantly advance the fields of neuroscience and motor learning, continuing the rapid expansion of knowledge of the dynamic nature of the brain. Taken together the data from this proposal will provide important new insights to our understanding of how structural neuroplasticity affects learning.

人类大脑具有显著的神经可塑性，但大多数研究几乎只关注皮质灰质的神经可塑性。直到最近，我们还认为大脑中的白色物质结构几乎没有经历依赖性神经可塑性变化的潜力。最近啮齿动物模型的研究表明，这是不正确的;然而，这个问题还没有在人类中考虑过。在拟议的工作中测试的主要假设是，白色物质，特别是髓鞘，是神经可塑性的，并支持与人脑中运动学习相关的经验依赖性变化。白色物质占脑组织的40%。髓鞘是大脑中的一种重要结构成分，可以快速有效地进行信息交换，但我们对它如何支持运动学习知之甚少。人类神经影像学的最新进展使得能够在人脑中对髓磷脂进行体内定量。 多成分T2弛豫成像（MCRI）是一种基于MRI的成像方法，可以通过映射脂质双层中的水来量化髓鞘的厚度。重要的是，MCRI已被组织病理学验证为人脑中髓鞘含量的量度。** 我的实验室最近使用MCRI的工作表明，髓鞘厚度增加，以支持年轻健康人的运动学习。具体来说，我们发现了顶内沟髓鞘厚度增加与运动学习任务练习相关的技能获得率之间的关系（Lakhani et al，2016）。鉴于我们的研究是第一个显示人类髓鞘可塑性和运动技能学习之间关系的研究，因此仍然存在许多问题。这些构成了当前提案的基础，我们将研究髓鞘可塑性与运动行为、技能练习和灰质可塑性之间的关系。*如果像这里提出的那样，白色物质，特别是髓鞘，具有高度的神经可塑性，并对人类的各种行为操纵做出反应，那么神经可塑性的理论将发生变化。 这一基础知识将大大推进神经科学和运动学习领域，继续快速扩展大脑动态本质的知识。综合起来，这个提议的数据将为我们理解结构神经可塑性如何影响学习提供重要的新见解。