Structural and functional plasticity induced by language-type learning

Introduction: Neural plasticity has been postulated to be the neurobiological basis of learning; vice versa learning is supposed to induce neural plasticity. To answer the question whether learning induces structural and functional changes in the cortex, we investigated 15 subjects with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and fMRI-imaging, before and after they had learned to interpret Morse code. We found increased activation and an decrease in grey matter in learning associated areas which argues for real neural reorganization. Methods: 15 participants were scanned three times with exactly the same stimulus set cons…