Open AccessFunctional neuroanatomy of visuo‐spatial working memory in turner syndrome
Author(s) -
Haberecht Michael F.,
Me Vinod,
Warsofsky Ilana S.,
White Christopher D.,
DyerFriedman Jenny,
Glover Gary H.,
Neely E. Kirk,
Reiss Allan L.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.1044
Subject(s) - working memory , psychology , supramarginal gyrus , neuroscience , executive functions , caudate nucleus , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , spatial memory , n back , frontal lobe , inferior parietal lobule , inferior frontal gyrus , prefrontal cortex , audiology , middle frontal gyrus , cognition , functional magnetic resonance imaging , medicine
Turner syndrome (TS), a genetic disorder characterized by the absence of an X chromosome in females, has been associated with cognitive and visuo‐spatial processing impairments. We utilized functional MRI (fMRI) to investigate the neural substrates that underlie observed deficits in executive functioning and visuo‐spatial processing. Eleven females with TS and 14 typically developing females (ages 7–20) underwent fMRI scanning while performing 1‐back and 2‐back versions of a standard visuo‐spatial working memory (WM) task. On both tasks, TS subjects performed worse than control subjects. Compared with controls, TS subjects showed increased activation in the left and right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) during the 1‐back task and decreased activation in these regions during the 2‐back task. In addition, decreased activation in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and caudate nucleus was observed during the 2‐back task in TS subjects. Activation differences localized to the SMG, in the inferior parietal lobe, may reflect deficits in visuo‐spatial encoding and WM storage mechanisms in TS. In addition, deficits in the DLPFC and caudate may be related to deficits in executive function during WM performance. Together these findings point to deficits in frontal‐striatal and frontal‐parietal circuits subserving multiple WM functions in TS. Hum. Brain Mapping 14:96–107, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.