The brain image at the top of the page shows the results of a recent longitudinal pilot study in our lab. We wanted to learn more about how the brain of a language learner changes, as he or she becomes more proficient in the language.  In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess changes in learners' gray matter as they tried to learn a second language. (VBM is applied to structural MRI scans of the learners' brains.)  Our subjects were English-speaking university students taking an intensive nine-week Spanish class. We obtained two structural scans for each learner, one near the beginning of instruction, and another near the end.  Even though these learners were complete novices at Spanish and had only 9 weeks of instruction, the VBM analysis revealed an increase in gray matter density, when comparing the post-instruction images to  pre-instruction images.  The intersecting lines indicate the brain area with the largest increase in gray matter density. This result adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that structural changes in the brain can occur after amazingly brief periods of instruction or practice. We are currently attempting to replicate this result in a larger study.