Neuronal Plasticity
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: Neuronal plasticity is the brain's ability to continuously adapt to experiences and learning of new skills. Although this affects multiple characteristics of the brain such as structure, function and metabolism, direct interactions between these aspects are largely missing. Aim: Using recent advancements in neuroimaging we aim to identify novel relationships how neuronal plasticity is related across these characteristics. Design: 40 healthy subjects will undergo two simultaneous PET/MR measurements at baseline and after 4 weeks. During the measurements a cognitively challenging task will be performed and the training group (20 subjects) will practice during the 4-week period. Implications: We combine simultaneous PET/MR and novel task-specific PET imaging to study brain metabolism, structure and function in a single measurement session. This provides optimal sensitivity for assessment of multimodal neuroplasticity associations. Knowledge how cognitive training affects multiple characteristics of the brain will also increase our understanding of disorders like depression, dementia and brain injuries, since these are diagnosed with cognitive evaluations. Considering the vast usage of the applied imaging procedures in diagnosis and therapy monitoring, the thorough investigation of multimodal associations offers benefit for the interpretability of neuroimaging in clinical routine.
Detailed description
Methodological details: Each subject will undergo two PET/MR examinations. Imaging will include PET as well as acquisition of structural and functional MRI. Task-specific glucose metabolism will be quantified with the radioligand \[18F\]FDG. Gray matter volume and white matter microstructure will be assessed with T1-weighted and diffusion weighted MRI, respectively. Functional imaging will focus on functional connectivity during rest and task as well as cerebral blood flow as acquired with ASL.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTetris
The video game Tetris is a cognitively challenging task, which requires mental rotation, problem solving and fast visuo-spatial and motor coordination.
Sponsors
Rupert Lanzenberger
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age range 21-30 years * Right-handedness * Willingness and competence to sign the informed consent form
Exclusion criteria
* History of or current physical, neurological or psychiatric disorder * History of or current substance abuse or medication including antipsychotic, antidepressant and antianxiety agents * Pregnancy or current breastfeeding * Contraindications for MRI-scanning (e.g., metal implants, steel grafts, etc), including dental implants causing signal artifacts * For subjects participating in earlier studies using ionizing radiation, the total radiation exposure of 30mSv over the last 10 years must not be exceeded, as specified in the Austrian legislation on radiation protection * Regular players of the video game Tetris (3 years before scanning). * Failure to comply with the study protocol or to follow the instructions of the investigating team
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Training induced changes in imaging parameters | 4 weeks | Imaging parameters are glucose metabolism (\[18F\]FDG PET), cerebral blood flow (arterial spin labeling MRI), functional connectivity (resting-state and task fMRI), gray matter volume (T1-weighted MRI) and white matter structure (diffusion weighted MRI) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive performance | 4 weeks | Training induced changes in performance of the video game (score per minute) |
Countries
Austria
Contacts
Primary ContactRupert Lanzenberger, Assoc Prof
Backup ContactAndreas Hahn, Ass Prof
Outcome results
None listed