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Practice‐related functional activation changes in a working memory task
Author(s) -
Garavan Hugh,
Kelley Dan,
Rosen Allyson,
Rao Steve M.,
Stein Elliot A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0029(20001001)51:1<54::aid-jemt6>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - precuneus , superior parietal lobule , middle frontal gyrus , functional magnetic resonance imaging , posterior cingulate , working memory , psychology , inferior parietal lobule , insula , superior frontal gyrus , precentral gyrus , neuroscience , medial frontal gyrus , cognitive psychology , default mode network , inferior frontal gyrus , sulcus , functional imaging , cognition , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology
The effects of practice on the functional anatomy of a visuospatial working memory (VSWM) task were studied using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Functional imaging was conducted as subjects completed a moderate (Experiment 1) or extensive (Experiment 2) amount of practice on a delayed‐match‐to‐sample task. While improvement in task performance was seen with practice, the task's dependence upon VSWM did not change. Activations in frontal (inferior, middle, and precentral gyri and superior frontal sulcus), parietal (intra‐parietal sulcus, inferior parietal lobule, and precuneus) and cingulate (anterior and posterior) regions were observed as were bilateral insular and occipital activations. With the exception of the posterior cingulate, practice produced activation decreases in these regions, thus providing little evidence for a re‐organization of the functional neuroanatomy. Fewer regions passing statistical criteria were observed at the end of practice relative to early in practice. Regions that were lost were mostly posterior (occipital and precuneus) but also included the left middle frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and right insula suggesting that a more precise VSWM functional map can be observed once processes specific to encountering a novel task are removed. Little further activation changes were observed after extensive practice. These results suggest, minimally, that practice effects should be considered so as to avoid incorrectly attributing functional activation to a cognitive process of interest. Further, these data show that the dynamics of functional change can be tracked while a task is being learned and as an important cognitive process becomes more skilled. Microsc. Res. Tech. 51:54–63, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.