Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to adapt or change through growth and/or reorganization of the brain's neural network. We've discussed previously how the body tends to tighten up as we age and it's important to keep everything loose and limber through physical activity. Your brain is the same way! You can keep your mind sharp by keeping it active! 

The brain is made up of a soft tissue consisting of gray and white matter. Gray matter consists of the neuronal cell bodies, and white matter consists of myelinated axons. Together, the gray and white matter allows for smooth, coordinated movements of daily living functions (Mercadante & Tadi, 2020). Regardless of age, as one learns a new skill, gray matter increases to meet the additional demands. What allows for the brain to change once neural pathways are formed is a term known as neural plasticity, and research continues to show that healthy adults maintain this function (Cech & Martin, 2012). Essentially, the brain doesn’t just stop changing or become rigid as one ages. A healthy brain is able to constantly make changes as new skills are learned. Research by Bezzola, Merillat, Gaser, and Jancke (2011) studied the “training-induced neural adaptations” that take place as golf novices practice this complex sport. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in gray matter in the areas of the brain that are important for the sport of golf such as the dorsal stream and the frontal region as these novices practice and work to develop previously formed neural pathways.     

Researchers took twenty-two healthily functioning volunteers (18 women and 4 men) between the ages of 40 and 60 years with no prior history of neurological or psychological disorders to participate in the study. Participants were divided into a golf novice group consisting of those with roughly 77 hours of previous golf experience (9 women and 2 men) and a control group consisting of those with no prior golf experience (9 women and 2 men). All but two participants were right-hand dominant (Bezzola et al., 2011). 

A longitudinal study was done using Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) from two time points (T1, T2) to study and map out differences between participants in the golf novice group and control group. Each participant of the golf novice group was to attain 40 hours of golf training and they were able to determine their own level of intensity they wanted to practice at. The more intensely one practiced the quicker they reached the required 40 hours and vice versa. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to study T1 and T2 data points. Since researchers were particularly interested in differences in training intensity for the golf novice group, they used an additional region of interest (ROI) scan to evaluate specific areas in the brain that showed an increase in gray matter. Finally, “threshold-free cluster enhancement was used to detect significant clusters” without knowing or specifying a particular threshold at the outset (Bezzola et al., 2011).    

Results of the study proved the hypothesis that an increase of gray matter was found in golf novices in the areas of the brain especially associated with motor learning, coordinating, and timing of movements. Furthermore, additional gray matter was discovered following the 40 hours of golf training. In regards to the level of intensity of training, however, the increases in gray matter were not dependent on a strict training regimen or intense levels of practice. Neuronal adaptations were still found when training at a leisurely pace. Therefore, “a strict and controlled training protocol is not mandatory for training-induced adaptations of gray matter” (Bezzola et al., 2011). Although, those practicing more intensely to achieve the required 40 hours of training quicker and receive a license to play, showed increased gray matter specifically in the right parieto-occipital junction (POJ). This area is important for visuo-spatial recognition and coordination of movement, and the increased gray matter would show that the more experienced golfer uses this area more frequently compared those who rarely swing a club.    

What we can take away from this study is that neural adaptations take place even while performing unstructured leisure activities. When compared with strict and controlled training, the effects producing neural adaptations and increases in gray matter are very similar. Because of these similarities, it was found that even performing leisure activities could be a viable option for neuro-rehabilitation purposes due to the concept of neural plasticity (Bezzola et al., 2011). So don't be afraid to try out something new whether it's a new exercise like dance, yoga, or Pilates or a hobby like Sudoku because your brain will adapt and change no matter what your age!      

References

Bezzola, L., Mérillat, S., Gaser, C., & Jäncke, L. (2011). Training-induced neural plasticity in golf novices. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 31(35), 12444–12448. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1996-11.2011 

Cech, D. & Martin, S. (2012). Neural plasticity. Functional Movement Development Across the Life Span. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4160-4978-4.00009-0 

Mercadante A. & Tadi P. (2020). Neuroanatomy, Gray Matter. StatPearls Publishing; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553239/