一项针对经典游戏俄罗斯方块的最新研究显示，该游戏可刺激大脑相应部位的皮层增长，同时还有助提高大脑中一些区域的运行效率。
英国《生物医学中心研究笔记》杂志1日刊登的这项研究说，美国科研人员请26名女志愿者每天玩30分钟俄罗斯方块游戏，3个月后对其大脑进行扫描后发现，她们大脑中名为BA6、BA22和BA38区域的大脑皮层增厚。其中BA6区域与大脑处理复杂运动有关，另两个区域与大脑综合处理视觉、听觉、触觉等多种信息有关。
研究还发现，志愿者大脑中与思考、推理等有关的区域活动效率得到提高。但是，大脑皮层变厚的区域与活动效率提高的区域总体来说并不重合。
研究人员说，过去研究曾发现杂技等活动会刺激大脑中负责运动的区域生长，这次研究说明思维锻炼同样会使相应大脑皮层增长。对于为什么大脑皮层变厚的区域与活动效率提高的区域不重合的问题，研究人员表示将会进一步研究。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:174
MRI assessment of cortical thickness and functional activity changes in adolescent girls following three months of practice on a visual-spatial task
Richard J Haier , Sherif Karama , Leonard Leyba and Rex E Jung
Background
Neuro-imaging studies demonstrate plasticity of cortical gray matter before and after practice for some motor and cognitive tasks in adults. Other imaging studies show functional changes after practice, but there is not yet direct evidence of how structural and functional changes may be related. A fundamental question is whether they occur at the same cortical sites, adjacent sites, or sites in other parts of a network.
Findings
Using a 3T MRI, we obtained structural and functional images in adolescent girls before and after practice on a visual-spatial problem-solving computer game, Tetris. After three months of practice, compared to the structural scans of controls, the group with Tetris practice showed thicker cortex, primarily in two areas: left BAs 6 and 22/38. Based on fMRI BOLD signals, the Tetris group showed cortical activations throughout the brain while playing Tetris, but significant BOLD decreases, mostly in frontal areas, were observed after practice. None of these BOLD decreases, however, overlapped with the cortical thickness changes.
Conclusions
Regional cortical thickness changes were observed after three months of Tetris practice. Over the same period, brain activity decreases were observed in several other areas. These data indicate that structural change in one brain area does not necessarily result in functional change in the same location, at least on the levels assessed with these MRI methods.
