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Related Concept Videos

Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Plasticity00:58

Plasticity

Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Visual attentional load influences plasticity in the human motor cortex.

Marc R Kamke1, Michelle G Hall, Hayley F Lye

  • 1Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia. m.kamke@uq.edu.au

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|May 18, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Cognitive factors influence neural plasticity. Selective attention, when highly demanding, eliminated long-term potentiation-like effects in the motor cortex, suggesting attention modulates brain plasticity.

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Last Updated: May 22, 2026

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09:48

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06:46

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Neural plasticity is crucial for learning, memory, and nervous system repair.
  • While physical and physiological factors of plasticity are well-studied, the impact of cognitive factors remains less understood.
  • Selective attention is a key cognitive function with potential roles in modulating neural processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of selective attention on neural plasticity, specifically long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects in the human motor cortex.
  • To determine if attentional load affects the induction and expression of cortical plasticity.
  • To examine the generality of attention's influence across different plasticity induction methods.

Main Methods:

  • Long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity was induced in the motor cortex using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
  • Participants performed a visual detection task with varying attentional demands (low vs. high load) during plasticity induction.
  • Changes in motor cortex excitability were measured via motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in hand muscles before and after stimulation.
  • Different plasticity induction protocols, including paired associative stimulation (PAS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), were employed.

Main Results:

  • Reliable changes in motor cortex excitability, indicative of LTP-like plasticity, were observed under low attentional load conditions.
  • This plasticity-inducing effect was abolished when participants were under high attentional load.
  • No significant differences in motor cortex excitability were found during the attentional task itself across different load levels.

Conclusions:

  • Selective attention significantly modulates cortical plasticity, specifically inhibiting LTP-like effects in the motor cortex under high cognitive load.
  • These findings highlight that attentional mechanisms are potent modulators of brain plasticity, extending beyond their known role in sensory processing.
  • The results suggest that cognitive state is a critical variable to consider when studying or attempting to induce neural plasticity.