Working in Movement

Learning changes the brain. Nothing controversial about that. Certainly, the functioning of the brain changes when a person learns something new. And, of course, in kids going through their developmental phases, the structure changes too. But in my wandering through the forest of plasticity in adults, I've found the discussions of plasticity relate to brain functioning, not structure.

Now Juggling Increases Brain Grey Matter sheds light on some research that investigates further. German researchers enlisted 24 students. Some learned how to juggle well enough to perform classic three ball cascade for at least one minute. Another group did not learn the juggling skill. After three months, the researchers did magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on all 24. They found an increase in grey matter in the area of the jugglers' brains that process and store complex visual motion, but none in those of the non-jugglers. Interestingly, after three more months of refraining their juggling behavior, the former jugglers' brains showed decreases in these areas.

Complex movement behavior changes the brain, not only functionally, but also structurally. But the structural changes only last as long as the person continues engaging in that movement behavior.

Use it or lose it, as they say. However, I know from my own experience of juggling, the functional pattern, the learned juggling skill, does not go away. It would have been interesting to take one more pass at the MRI after the former jugglers began performing again.