Short Term Learning Induced White Matter Plasticity in the Fornix

Shir Hofstetter¹, Ido Tavor¹, Shimrit Tzur-Moryosef¹, Tamar Blumenfeld Katzir¹, Yaniv Assaf¹

Previous studies in our lab found changes in DTI parameters after short term learning task in humans and rats, mainly in the hippocampus. We investigated whether changes in the fornix accompany these modifications, using TBSS. Changes in FA and MD were found in humans after 2 hours of learning task, and reduction in MD in rats undergoing short training in Morris water maze. Additionally, correlation of MD change in the hippocampus with changes in the fornix was detected in all groups. This work provides first indication of short term white matter plasticity that can be detected with DTI.