Want to help Multiple Sclerosis? Learn to juggle!

October 11, 1:23 AMMultiple Sclerosis ExaminerMike Szymanski

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(promo picture of Miguel Herrera courtesy Cirque du Soleil)

As if people with Multiple Sclerosis don't have enough balls to juggle, there is a new report that shows that juggling could aid in the treatment of diseases like MS.

The Oxford University study showed there was a five percent increase in the white matter of the brain when people learned to juggle over a period of six weeks.

The study was published in the journal of Nature Neuroscience this week.

The study did not have anyone participating who had MS, but the applications were extrapolated to show that it could help people suffering from the disease.

The study was described by BBC News as a group of 24 healthy young adults, none of whom could juggle. They divided them into two groups. One of the groups was given weekly training sessions in juggling for six weeks and was asked to practice 30 minutes every day the other 12 continued as normal. After training, the 12 jugglers could perform at least two continuous cycles of the classic three ball cascade. Both groups were scanned using diffusion MRI before and after the training.

At the six week point, a five percent  increase in white matter was shown in a rear section of the brain that controls the area of the brain responsible for reaching and grasping for objects.

Dr. Heidi Johansen-Berg who conducted the study said:

 

"Knowing that pathways in the brain can be enhanced may be significant in the long run in coming up with new treatments for neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, where these pathways become degraded."