Gianna Riccitelli1, Maria A. Rocca1, Letizia Panicari1, Maria Chiara Di Fabio1, Elisa Gobbetti1, Roberto Gatti2, Paola Valsasina1, Andrea Falini3, Giancarlo Comi4
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy; 2Unit of Functional Recovery, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy; 3Department of Neuroradiology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy; 4Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy
We investigated in 45 healthy subjects (HC), the structural changes of the gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) associated with manual dexterity training, with and without musical cue. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and after 2 weeks. Diffusivity parameters in the WM skeleton did not change after training, while a musical stimulation during motor training improved motor performance and influenced structural plasticity of the GM. The complexity of the task was associated with more pronounced changes of GM structure.