In gypsum arm, the brain adapts after 16 days

In a gypsum arm, the brain adapts after 16 days: immobilization of the arm is cognitively compensated

19/01/2012

The immobilization of one arm trains the other's motor skills. The right brain controls the left arm and the left brain controls the right. If one arm fails, the other half of the brain takes over. This has now been proven in a study by the University of Zurich.

Altered brain activity detectable
If a hand is immobilized, the responsible brain regions adjust to the forced change after only two weeks. In a statement from the University of Zurich, study author Nicki Langer explains: „The immobilization of the right hand soon changes the sensory and motor brain areas.“ At the same time, on the left side, the gray and white cerebral substance controlling the immobilized right hand is removed. In contrast, the right-sided brain realm, which is responsible for the motor skills of the lower left hand, would grow.

For the study, in the journal „Neurology ", ten right-handed people whose right upper arm had been broken were examined, and due to a plaster cast, patients could not use their right hand for a period of two weeks, or only to a limited extent, and had to use their left hand to brush their teeth and write.

Left brain shrinks as the right one grows
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to examine the brain structure of the study participants 48 hours after the injury and 16 days after the arm was immobilized. In the analysis, in particular, the gray matter and white matter, the thickness of the cerebral cortex, and the fine motor skills of the left, movable hand were examined.

Langer reports that the corresponding brain areas of the left hemisphere have shrunk severely. This result has been observed in all subjects in terms of motor skills. In the case of sensory perception, eight of the ten study participants had a shrinkage of the corresponding brain area. For the scientist, the speed of the process is particularly surprising.

Analysis of the right hemisphere revealed growth of the appropriate areas. In addition, the fine motor skills of the right hand improved, reports Langner.

Adaptability of the brain useful for stroke therapy
It is clear to scientists that this effect is important for the treatment of strokes. In some cases, a healthy, functioning arm is immobilized to improve the motor and sensory functions of the other arm and train the appropriate brain area for new abilities. In this type of therapy, the short-term changes in the brain should be strictly monitored according to scientists, since it can come in addition to the positive effects on the desired area of ​​the brain and negative consequences for the opposite.

The human brain - until today not completely decoded
The human brain is considered the control center of the body. All information from the body and the Umwellt come together here and are processed into reactions. It involves around one billion neurons, the so-called neurons, which are linked together in highly complex circuits.

With a weight of less than two kilograms on average, the brain only takes about three percent of body weight. Yet it is the most active organ that consumes about 15 percent of the body's total energy needs.

To this day, the brain is giving riddles to researchers from all over the world. So far, the exact neural mechanisms of perception are not yet known. Although researchers know a great deal about the functions of neurons and synapses, little is known about their coordinated activity in associations of many millions of cells. (Ag)

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Salt stimulates the brain like a drug
Obesity causes the brain to shrink
Unhealthy diet damages the brain
Mechanism of brain development decoded
Brain damage caused by head balls?

Image: Dieter Schütz