Brain plasticity: effects of judopracticeon gray matter volume
Wantuir FS Jacini
Lab of Neuroimaging, Department of
Neurology - University of Campinas
wantuir@gmail.com

Rationale• Experimental studies have shown that physicalexercise, planning and execution of complex
movements are associated with changes inbrain structure.
• The changes possibly reflect plastic alterationsof the cortical mantle in response to an
enhanced demand imposed by motor task
and/or physical exercise.
• In humans, cortical plasticity in relation tophysical exercise is yet to be fully determinedand quantified.Introduction
Physical Exercises Increases Liberation of Tropic
Factors: Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Brain
Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) andFibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) (Cotman andBerchtold, 2002)
The main action of local trophic factor is cell
surviving, improving resistance of nervous system
to insults and also increasing neuronalconnections (Mattson, 2000)

Introduction• Animal Model X Human Model• Non-Invasive Method• MRI

Introduction• Study with Basketball Players (Park et al,2006)• Senescent Person and Aerobic Exercises(Colcombe et al, 2006)

Objective• To investigate changes on gray mattervolume in judo players using voxel-basedmorphometry (VBM) of high resolution
Magnetic Ressonance Image (MRI).

Methods

Characteristics of judo players
and control health groups
Time ofpracticeAgeLimit of age
Number ofSubjects

Judo Players

Control>10 year_25,2 year (± 1,8year)
20 to 40 year

25,3 year (± 2,9year)
20 to 40 year

818

MRI Scanning Protocol- 2 T Scanner Elscint Prestige- Volumetric (3D) T1, 1mm isotropic voxels- T1 best anatomic 3D resolution

Image Processing- Voxel-based Morphometry (VBM)- Software Matlab 6.5, MRIcro, SPM2 e NPM- All results were obtained with Wilcoxon test
(voxel by voxel)

Normalization and Modulation
Image

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Templ

Normalization

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

ImageNormalized

Segmentation
Image
Smoothed

Gaussian Kernel
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

NPM or SPM 2P <0.05

Results

Right LateralMedialLeft Lateral

4.33.0Brain GMV Increase
Judo Players
Number of Voxels

8000
6000
4000
GMV Increases
20000

Cerebrum Cerebella

Cerebrum +CerebellaBrain GMV Increase
Judo Players
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0

GMV increase

FrontalParietal

Temporal

Occipital CerebellaoConclusion• Increased gray matter volume in judo players is
possibly induced by the practice of a complex
motor task.
• More specifically, the gray matter volume within
the primary motor cortex, memory andassociative areas are particularly affected by thepractice of judo.
• Our findings suggest that motor planning andexecution, embedded in sport practice, including
judo, can induce specific plasticity relatedchanges in the brain.

Frontal lobe increased cortical graymatter volume (p < 0,01)
Anatomical Region

Number of Voxels
Right
Hemisphere

Left
Hemisphere

Pre-central Gyrus-

227

Frontal Superior Gyrus-

398

Frontal Superior Orbital Gyrus

283

357

Frontal Middle Gyrus-

34

Frontal Middle Orbital Gyrus-305

Frontal Inferior Opercular Gyrus

472

530

Frontal Inferior Triangular Gyrus

162

418

Rolandic Opercular-62

Supplementary Motor Area51

196

Parietal, temporal and occipital lobe
increased cortical GMV (p < 0,01)
Anatomical Region

Number of Voxels
Right Hemisphere

Left Hemisphere

Rectus Gyrus

517

69

Paracentral-

55

Postcentral-

234

Parietal Superior Gyrus

114

435

Parietal Inferior Gyrus-

46

Precuneus-

37

Temporal Middle Gyrus

122

326

Temporal Inferior Gyrus

398

1040

Occipital Superior Gyrus

169-

Occipital Middle Gyrus-

133

JUDO PLAYERS x CONTROLS
Right LateralMedialLeft Lateral

4.3

3.0

Image Pre-processing