Assessing brain neuroplasticity: Surface morphometric analysis of cortical changes induced by Quadrato motor training.
Journal of anatomy May 1, 2025 F Spani, F Carducci, C Piervincenzi et al. 5 citations
A landmark-free method called generalized Procrustes surface analysis (GPSA) can detect shape changes in the brain's cortical surface associated with neuroplasticity. In 40 healthy volunteers who practiced Quadrato motor training (QMT), a sensorimotor walking meditation, brain MRIs taken at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks were compared with those of six non-practicing volunteers. Cortical regions showing the most shape variation included the supplementary motor cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, visual cortex, and inferior parietal lobule. The results suggest GPSA can assess brain plasticity processes stimulated by motor training.