Enhanced white matter tracts integrity in children with abacus training

Abstract

Experts of abacus, who have the skills of abacus-based mental calculation (AMC), are able to manipulate numbers via an imagined abacus in mind and demonstrate extraordinary ability in mental calculation. Behavioral studies indicated that abacus experts utilize visual strategy in solving numerical problems, and fMRI studies confirmed the enhanced involvement of visuospatial-related neural resources in AMC. This study aims to explore the possible changes in brain white matter induced by long-term training of AMC. Two matched groups participated: the abacus group consisting of 25 children with over 3-year training in abacus calculation and AMC, the controls including 25 children without any abacus experience. We found that the abacus group showed higher average fractional anisotropy (FA) in whole-brain fiber tracts, and the regions with increased FA were found in corpus callosum, left occipitotemporal junction and right premotor projection. No regions, however, showed decreased FA in the abacus group. Further analysis revealed that the differences in FA values were mainly driven by the alternation of radial rather than axial diffusivities. Furthermore, in forward digit and letter memory span tests, AMC group showed larger digit/letter memory spans. Interestingly, individual differences in white matter tracts were found positively correlated with the memory spans, indicating that the widespread increase of FA in the abacus group result possibly from the AMC training. In conclusion, our findings suggested that long-term AMC training from an early age may improve the memory capacity and enhance the integrity in white matter tracts related to motor and visuospatial processes.

Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation

“…In contrast to AD, which signifies axonal morphology, RD implicates the character of the myelin. Decrease in RD implies increased myelination, and increase represents demyelination (2,3,8). This evidence in human neuroimaging studies is consistent with animal studies examining axons and myelination histologically and comparing them directly with DTI results (12, 13).…”

“…In contrast to aging, training in reading, use of the abacus, and working memory have resulted in FA increase by decreasing RD without changing AD. This pattern supports the notion that myelination is the predominant process of the increased FA following training in specific tasks (2)(3)(4). Keller and Just (3) proposed that skill learning would increase neural firing and thus increase myelination (decrease in RD and increase in FA).…”

“…Myelination has been found in animal and human studies to be modifiable by experience, and affects information processing by regulating the velocity and synchrony of impulse conduction between distant cortical regions (23,24). Increased myelination could occur because of increased neural firing in brain areas active during training (2)(3)(4). Changes in the ACC activation and its connectivity have been found in both meditation (5,16,25) and other forms of training (26,27).…”

“…DTI is capable of measuring white matter's structural plasticity. Studies indicate that training or learning alters brain white matter (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Fractional anisotropy (FA) is an important index for measuring the integrity of white matter fibers.…”

Short-term meditation induces white matter changes in the anterior cingulate

“…Musicians show positive relations between fractional anisotropy (FA) and training in widespread white-matter regions such as the pyramidal tract (1, 2); however, the opposite result of lower FA in musicians than in nonmusicians in this region of the brain was also reported (3,4). One study has reported that longterm abacus training from an early age enhances the integrity in white-matter tracts related to motor and visuospatial processes (5). Working memory is an important capacity involved in the shortterm maintenance and manipulation of information.…”