Open AccessLong-term Chinese calligraphic handwriting training has a positive effect on brain network efficiency
Author(s) -
Wen Chen,
Yong He,
Chuansheng Chen,
Meiping Zhu,
Suyu Bi,
Jin Liu,
Mingrui Xia,
Qixiang Lin,
Yiwen Wang,
Wenjing Wang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0210962
Subject(s) - thalamus , handwriting , neuroscience , basal ganglia , functional magnetic resonance imaging , resting state fmri , calligraphy , neuroplasticity , psychology , anterior cingulate cortex , biology , central nervous system , computer science , cognition , artificial intelligence , painting , art , visual arts
As a visual art form, Chinese calligraphic handwriting (CCH) has been found to correlate with certain brain activity and to induce functional connectivity reorganization of the brain. This study investigated the effect of long-term CCH training on brain functional plasticity as assessed with network measures. With the resting-state fMRI data from 31 participants with at least five years of CCH training and 40 controls, we constructed brain functional networks, examined group differences at both the whole brain and modular levels, and correlated the topological characteristics with calligraphy skills. We found that, compared to the control group, the CCH group showed shorter characteristic path lengths and higher local efficiency in certain brain areas in the frontal and parietal cortices, limbic system, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Moreover, these network measures in the cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, and thalamus were associated with CCH performance (i.e., copying and creating skills). These results suggest that long-term CCH training has a positive effect on the topological characteristics of brain networks.