Assessing brain neuroplasticity: Surface morphometric analysis of cortical changes induced by Quadrato motor training.
F Spani, Filippo Carducci, Claudia Piervincenzi, Tal D Ben-Soussan, C A Mallio, Carlo C Quattrocchi
Journal of anatomy May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14104 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with a practice group and a naïve comparison group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers (40 in the practice group, 6 in the naïve group) |
| Intervention | Quadrato motor training (QMT) |
| Duration | 12-week intervention with MRIs at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | 3d brain cortex Magnetic resonance imaging Sensorimotor training Shape variation |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Generalized Procrustes surface analysis detected cortical shape variations in the supplementary motor cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, visual cortex, and inferior parietal lobule in participants who practiced Quadrato motor training. |
Abstract
Morphological markers for brain plasticity are still lacking and their findings are challenged by the extreme variability of cortical brain surface. Trying to overcome the "correspondence problem," we applied a landmark-free method (the generalized procrustes surface analysis (GPSA)) for investigating the shape variation of cortical surface in a group of 40 healthy volunteers (i.e., the practice group) subjected to daily motor training known as Quadrato motor training (QMT). QMT is a sensorimotor walking meditation that aims at balancing body, cognition, and emotion. More specifically, QMT requires coordination and attention and consists of moving in one of three possible directions on corners of a 50 × 50 cm2. Brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of practice group (acquired at baseline, as well as after 6 and 12 weeks of QMT), were 3D reconstructed and here compared with brain MRIs of six more volunteers never practicing the QMT (naïve group). Cortical regions mostly affected by morphological variations were visualized on a 3D average color-scaled brain surface indicating from higher (red) to lower (blue) levels of variation. Cortical regions interested in most of the shape variations were as follows: (1) the supplementary motor cortex; (2) the inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercolaris) and the anterior insula; (3) the visual cortex; (4) the inferior parietal lobule (supramarginal gyrus and angular gyrus). Our results show that surface morphometric analysis (i.e., GPSA) can be applied to assess brain neuroplasticity processes, such as those stimulated by QMT.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on neuroplasticity, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Age-matched participants including expert meditators and novices | 2007 | Observational cohort | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Functional Reorganization of the Default Mode Network across Chronic Pain Conditions Patients with chronic back pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and knee osteoarthritis | 2014 | Observational cohort | |
| State and Training Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Brain Networks Reflect Neuronal Mechanisms of Its Antidepressant Effect Novice meditators | 2016 | Longitudinal study | n = 13 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Embodied cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity following Quadrato Motor Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2015
- White Matter Microstructural Changes Following Quadrato Motor Training: A Longitudinal Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience December 7, 2017
- Correlates of Silence: Enhanced Microstructural Changes in the Uncinate Fasciculus. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Age-Related Differential Effects of School-Based Sitting and Movement Meditation on Creativity and Spatial Cognition: A Pilot Study. Children July 8, 2021
- Creating an Internal Environment of Cognitive and Psycho-Emotional Well-Being through an External Movement-Based Environment: An Overview of Quadrato Motor Training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health June 18, 2019
and 2 more in the library