Arm in Plaster Changes Brain in 16 days

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/01/17/arm_in_plaster_changes_brain_in_16_days.html

What happens to the brain of right handed people if their dominant hand must remain immobile for a couple weeks? This is the question that was reasearched and tried by Professor Lutz Jäncke and the Trauma Surgery Department at Zurich University Hospital. Ten subjects in this expirement were used, all of which were right hand dominant and had fractures in their upper arm. Because of the cast or sling they were restricted to little or no use of their right hand. Therefore they had to use their left hand for daily things such as brushing their teeth, writing, holding things ect. The 10 subjects were put through a MRI brain scan 48 hours or less after their fracture. 16 days later they went through the same scan a second time."Based on the scans, the neuropsychologists analyzed the test people's gray and white brain matter. They calculated the thickness of the cerebral cortex and the values of the corticospinal tract and measured the fine motor skills of the left, free-moving hand." The reasearchers realized that they grey and white brain matter in the brain where the right motor skills are have decreased as the side where the left motor skills are have an increased amount. In such a short time this is incredible. This might have an affect on the people that have had a stroke. They will immobilize the side that the stroke did not effect so that the brain tissue will exsist more so on the side where the stroke occured, making it stronger and healthier.

I believe that this would make a big impact in society. It's incrdible how quickly your brain, the sorce of all bodily fuctions, can change so quickly. I'm sure the subjects couldn't tell that their brains tissue changed at all. It would be inconvient to not use your domniant hand for daily things but you could train your left to do the same. Also to use this stradigy on patients who have had a stroke could benifit them in the long run. It could stengthen their arm and brain which could possibly prevent another stroke from occuring.

I suppose now I know that your arm can be strengthened by making your opposite immobile or just using it more daily. It's very good to know if your training for sports or would just like to work out your arms so that their equal.