Re: Does learning influence brain wrinkles?

For an individual, learning does not influence the number or complexity of 
folds of the cerebral cortex, which are known as gyri (a single fold is 
called a gyrus). Gyri are believed to form in order to maximize the 
volume of the cerebral cortex while still fitting inside of the 
skull. Animals that are thought to have a greater capacity for learning 
generally have more gyri and a larger cortical volume. 

While learning does not change the number of gyri in our brain, 
neuroscientists believe that learning changes the number and strength of 
CONNECTIONS between neurons in the brain, as opposed to the number of 
neurons. In the adult mammalian brain, it is currently unknown whether 
learning affects the number of neurons in the brain. 

However, in the brain of some avian (bird) species, it has been shown that 
the number of neurons in a region of the brain called the hippocampus 
changes with seasonal memory demands. During the summer, when food is 
plentiful and the bird has not started storing it, the number of neurons in 
the hippocampus is relatively lower. During the fall, when the bird stores 
its food, and then continuing through the winter, the number of neurons in 
hippocampus is relatively higher.