The Effect of Juggling as Dual-Task Activity on Human Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review

This systematic review formulated a research question based on the PICO method in accordance with the Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), “What is the effect of juggling as dual-task activity on neuroplasticity in the human brain?” In total, 1982 studies were analysed, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. These studies included 400 participants who had no prior juggling experience or were expert jugglers. The research methodology in seven studies was based on a long-term intervention with juggling. Three studies were based on brain imaging during the act of juggling, and one study was based on comparing differences between experienced jugglers and non-jugglers without the intervention. In all of these selected studies, positive structural changes in the human brain were found, including changes mainly in the gray matter (GM) volume in the visual motion complex area (hMT/V5) and the white matter (WM) volume in fractional anisotropy (FA). Based on this evidence, it can be concluded that the bimanual juggling task, as a dual-task activity, may effectively integrate brain areas to improve neuroplasticity. The small number of well-designed studies and the high risk of bias call for further research using a juggling intervention to identify conclusive evidence.