Bilateral activation of the prefrontal cortex after strategic semantic cognitive training - PubMed (original) (raw)

Bilateral activation of the prefrontal cortex after strategic semantic cognitive training

Eliane C Miotto et al. Hum Brain Mapp. 2006 Apr.

Abstract

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been implicated in the ability to apply semantic organizational strategies during verbal encoding and episodic learning. However, there has been no direct evidence demonstrating which specific areas in the PFC are engaged after cognitive training using semantic organizational strategies in healthy adult human subjects. In this study, we investigated the effects of semantic strategic training on brain activity and changes in behavioral performance, after cognitive training, using functional MRI (fMRI). There was a significant activation in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF) and orbitofrontal (OFC) areas after cognitive training. These results demonstrate the engagement of bilateral DLPF and OFC cortex during strategic memory processes, particularly when mobilization and effort of effective use of strategies are required. The functional adaptations observed here may also shed light on some of the processes underlying recovery with cognitive rehabilitation in patient populations with brain injury.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Experimental paradigm. Experimental conditions: fixation baseline (+); unrelated words (UR); related‐structured words (RS); related‐non‐structured words (RNS). There were three runs, each run with 48 words and total number of words pre‐training or post‐training = 144 words. FMRI parameter: three runs (all with all novel words). Each run 256 s (4 min, 16 s). One image per slice every 2 s = 128 data points each run; 16 axial slices; slice thickness = 8 mm (7, skip 1).

Figure 2

Figure 2

fMRI statistical map from the ANOVA test between the RNS post‐training > RNS pre‐training conditions (P < 0.01 cluster level). a: Right hemisphere showing increased activity in the middle frontal gyrus (9/46) (x, y, z; 58, 9, 24), inferior frontal gyrus (45/47) (58, 19, 18). b: Left hemisphere showing the increase in the middle frontal gyrus (9/46) (−45, 19, 21), inferior frontal gyrus (45/47) (−44, 18, 0), middle frontal gyrus (9/46) (−44, 7, 37), middle occipital gyrus (18) (−25, − 91, 18), fusiform gyrus (19) (−50, −64, −12). c: Axial slices showing, in addition to the above areas, increase in the left precuneus (7) (−2, −67, 52) and left cerebellum (−46, − 63, − 30).

Figure 3

Figure 3

fMRI statistical map from the ANOVA test between the UR post‐training > UR pre‐training conditions (P < 0.01 cluster level). a: Right hemisphere demonstrating increase in activity in the middle frontal gyrus (9/46) (x, y, z; 58, 9, 24), inferior frontal gyrus (45/47) (43, 6, 41), lingual gyrus (18) (17, −78, −2). b: Left hemisphere showing increase in the middle frontal gyrus (9/46) (−47, 29, 24), medial frontal gyrus (10) (−31, 54, 12), inferior frontal gyrus (45/47) (−46, 21, 0), lingual gyrus (18) (−20, −75, −2). c: Axial slices showing, in addition to the above, increase in the right precuneus (7) (17, −68, 25).

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