Draganski 2004

• Findings


  • Juggling Relies more on visual memory - perception and spatial anticipation of moving objects than on 'procedural memory', which would more likely show change in the cerebellum or basal ganglia
  • Study was experimental, and pre-test/post-test, thus helping argue for a cause/effect
• Background Info

  Biologists used to belive the brain was finished growing at a certain age. Research in the 60s started showing that the brain continues to change as a result of interacting with the environment cognition. This would be called Neuroplasticity

  Biologists
• Aim


  If learning juggling (new skill) would effect the brains of participants
• Method


  Volunteers aged 20-24, majority female, non-jugglers. MRI was conducted at the start of the study. Allocated to 2 control groups - jugglers and non jugglers.
• Procedure


  The Juggler group taught a basic juggling technique and told to practice, told to inform researches when the skill is mastered. Jugglers than take another MRI scan, and are told not to juggle anymore. 3 months later another scan. The non-juggling group served as a control group for the duration of the study.
• Results

  Baseline scans: no differences between the control groups

  2nd Scan: Significantly large amount of grey matter in the mid-temporal are in both hemispheres - and area which is associated with spatial memory.

  3 months after Neuropruning - grey matter decreased.