The Effect of Professional Ballet Training on Brain Structure: A Tale of Two Fractional Anisotropy Metrics

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dc.contributor.advisorDeSouza, Joseph
dc.creatorLeger, Charles Stevens
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-28T15:04:15Z
dc.date.available2015-08-28T15:04:15Z
dc.date.copyright2014-10-17
dc.date.issued2015-08-28
dc.date.updated2015-08-28T15:04:15Z
dc.degree.disciplinePsychology (Functional Area: Brain, Behaviour & Cognitive Sciences
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameMA - Master of Arts
dc.description.abstractThis research investigated structural brain changes associated with long-term professional ballet dance training. The primary measure used was fractional anisotropy (FA), a diffusion tensor (DTI) derived index of water molecule diffusion, which putatively quantifies main neural tract efficiency. Dancers had higher FA (p = .062, FWE corrected), which ostensibly reflects greater axonal ability to communicate. Dancers also had differing FA lateralization (p = .038, FWE corrected). Large percentages (30% to 55%) of variability in these metrics were shared by years of dance training, implicating a substantive impact of dance training on brain structure. Other DTI-derived indices where used to help characterize FA (i.e. axial diffusion, radial diffusion, and mean diffusion), and the results implicate enhanced conduction from altered tract properties, perhaps increased myelination. In addition, dancers had greater global grey matter and white matter volume, large percentages in the variability of which were also shared by years of training.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/29931
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectNeurosciences
dc.subjectMedical imaging and radiology
dc.subject.keywordsFractional anisotropy
dc.subject.keywordsAxial diffusion
dc.subject.keywordsRadial diffusion
dc.subject.keywordsLong-term training
dc.subject.keywordsProfessional ballet dancers
dc.subject.keywordsGlobal white matter volume
dc.subject.keywordsGlobal grey matter volume
dc.titleThe Effect of Professional Ballet Training on Brain Structure: A Tale of Two Fractional Anisotropy Metrics
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US

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