Open AccessLarge‐scale functional brain network changes in taxi drivers: Evidence from resting‐state fMRI
Author(s) -
Wang Lubin,
Liu Qiang,
Shen Hui,
Li Hong,
Hu Dewen
Publication year - 2015
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.22670
Subject(s) - default mode network , resting state fmri , cognition , neuroimaging , neuroscience , psychology , sensory system , brain activity and meditation , functional magnetic resonance imaging , brain mapping , cognitive psychology , electroencephalography
Driving a car in the environment is a complex behavior that involves cognitive processing of visual information to generate the proper motor outputs and action controls. Previous neuroimaging studies have used virtual simulation to identify the brain areas that are associated with various driving‐related tasks. Few studies, however, have focused on the specific patterns of functional organization in the driver's brain. The aim of this study was to assess differences in the resting‐state networks (RSNs) of the brains of drivers and nondrivers. Forty healthy subjects (20 licensed taxi drivers, 20 nondrivers) underwent an 8‐min resting‐state functional MRI acquisition. Using independent component analysis, three sensory (primary and extrastriate visual, sensorimotor) RSNs and four cognitive (anterior and posterior default mode, left and right frontoparietal) RSNs were retrieved from the data. We then examined the group differences in the intrinsic brain activity of each RSN and in the functional network connectivity (FNC) between the RSNs. We found that the drivers had reduced intrinsic brain activity in the visual RSNs and reduced FNC between the sensory RSNs compared with the nondrivers. The major finding of this study, however, was that the FNC between the cognitive and sensory RSNs became more positively or less negatively correlated in the drivers relative to that in the nondrivers. Notably, the strength of the FNC between the left frontoparietal and primary visual RSNs was positively correlated with the number of taxi‐driving years. Our findings may provide new insight into how the brain supports driving behavior. Hum Brain Mapp 36:862–871, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.