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. 2022 Jan;227(1):381-392.
doi: 10.1007/s00429-021-02407-4. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Imaging functional neuroplasticity in human white matter tracts

Tory O Frizzell  1   2 , Elisha Phull  1   2 , Mishaa Khan  1   2 , Xiaowei Song  1   2   3 , Lukas A Grajauskas  1   2   4 , Jodie Gawryluk  5   6 , Ryan C N D'Arcy  7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Imaging functional neuroplasticity in human white matter tracts

Tory O Frizzell et al. Brain Struct Funct. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are sensitive to biological mechanisms of neuroplasticity in white matter (WM). In particular, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used to investigate structural changes. Historically, functional MRI (fMRI) neuroplasticity studies have been restricted to gray matter, as fMRI studies have only recently expanded to WM. The current study evaluated WM neuroplasticity pre-post motor training in healthy adults, focusing on motor learning in the non-dominant hand. Neuroplasticity changes were evaluated in two established WM regions-of-interest: the internal capsule and the corpus callosum. Behavioral improvements following training were greater for the non-dominant hand, which corresponded with MRI-based neuroplasticity changes in the internal capsule for DTI fractional anisotropy, fMRI hemodynamic response functions, and low-frequency oscillations (LFOs). In the corpus callosum, MRI-based neuroplasticity changes were detected in LFOs, DTI, and functional correlation tensors (FCT). Taken together, the LFO results converged as significant amplitude reductions, implicating a common underlying mechanism of optimized transmission through altered myelination. The structural and functional neuroplasticity findings open new avenues for direct WM investigations into mapping connectomes and advancing MRI clinical applications.

Keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging; Functional correlation tensors; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Low-frequency oscillations; White matter activation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evidence of motor learning driven neuroplasticity in white matter regions-of-interest. Panel A: summary of ROI results across: (1) DTI—blue; significant increase in DTI FA (baseline < endpoint; p < 0.05, FWE); (2) WM-HRF—orange; significant decrease in HRF dispersion derivative (baseline > endpoint; p < 0.05, FWE); and (3) FCT—green; significant increase in FCT FA (baseline < endpoint; p < 0.05, FWE). Panel B: convergence of LFO results, with graphs showing common significant amplitude decreases across frequency bands (baseline > endpoint; p < 0.05) with interquartile ranges
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Endpoint—baseline neuroplasticity effects within CC and IC ROIs. Panel A—DTI FA, Panel B—FCT FA, Panel C & D—LFOs. *Significant group level differences between baseline and endpoint. DTI & FCT (p < 0.05, FWE) and LFO (p < 0.05). Whole bands (bands A through C, inclusive) were not included in the statistical analysis. [LH left hand task (right hemisphere ROIs), RH right-hand task (left hemisphere ROIs), CC corpus callosum ROIs, IC internal capsule ROIs]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
LFO Correlational analysis. Significant Bivariate pairwise Pearson correlations for each WM ROI LFO at baseline and after 2-week training (p < 0.05). The thickness of the ellipsoid indicates magnitude of the relationship, such that a thin ellipsoid represents a stronger correlation value (closer to ± 1); whereas a rounder ellipsoid represents weaker correlation. The color of the ellipsoid indicates the sign (positive, negative, no correlation) of the relationship between two variables. A positive relationship is red, negative is blue, and no correlation is green. Whole band: 0.01–0.22 Hz; band A: 0.01–0.08 Hz; band B: 0.08–0.15 Hz; band C: 0.15–0.22 Hz. (CC corpus callosum ROI, IC internal capsule ROI)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
DTI FA-FCT FA correlational analysis. Significant DTI-FCT increases in Pearson correlations for the corpus callosum between baseline and endpoint. Results are shown for the left and right hands, significant differences between time points (p < 0.05) with standard error
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