Effect of abacus training on executive function development and underlying neural correlates in Chinese children - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2017 Oct;38(10):5234-5249.

doi: 10.1002/hbm.23728. Epub 2017 Jul 20.

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Effect of abacus training on executive function development and underlying neural correlates in Chinese children

Chunjie Wang et al. Hum Brain Mapp. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Executive function (EF) refers to a set of cognitive abilities involved in self-regulated behavior. Given the critical role of EF in cognition, strategies for improving EF have attracted intensive attention in recent years. Previous studies have explored the effects of abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) training on several cognitive abilities. However, it remains unclear whether AMC training affects EF and its neural correlates. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to AMC or control groups upon starting primary school. The AMC group received 2 h AMC training every week, while the control group did not have any abacus experience. Neural activity during an EF task was examined using functional MRI for both groups in their 4th and 6th grades. Our results showed that the AMC group performed better and faster than the control group in both grades. They also had lower activation in the frontoparietal reigons than the control group in the 6th grade. From the 4th to the 6th grade, the AMC group showed activation decreases in the frontoparietal regions, while the control group exhibited an opposite pattern. Furthermore, voxel-wise regression analyses revealed that better performance was associated with lower task-relevant brain activity in the AMC group but associated with greater task-relevant brain activity in the control group. These results suggest that long-term AMC training, with calculation ability as its original target, may improve EF and enhance neural efficiency of the frontoparietal regions during development. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5234-5249, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: abacus-based mental calculation; child development; executive control; functional MRI; training plasticity.

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Experimental design of the EF task. (A) Three task conditions. For each task condition, a 2‐s task rule was presented, followed by twelve 2‐s trials. (B) Block design for the fMRI. In each block, a 26‐second task condition was presented, followed by a 12‐s fixation slide.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Mean accuracy and RT in the EF task. G4, 4th grade; G6, 6th grade. Error bars indicate one standard error of the mean. * p Bonferroni corrected < 0.05; ** p Bonferroni corrected < 0.01. [Color figure can be viewed at

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

]

Figure 3

Figure 3

Activated areas during the EF task. (A) Activation maps for each task condition and each grade. All images are thresholded at p < 0.05 using Alphasim correction. (B) The task mask (orange) defined by the combination of all the above activation maps. The left side of the axial slices corresponds to the left side of the brain. SFG, superior frontal gyrus; MFG, middle frontal gyrus; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; SMA, supplementary motor area; PG, precentral gyrus; AG, angular gyrus; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; SPL, superior parietal lobule; IPL, inferior parietal lobule; IPS, intraparietal sulcus. [Color figure can be viewed at

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

]

Figure 4

Figure 4

Clusters surviving in the factorial ANOVA. (A) Two clusters that are significant for the Group × Grade interaction effect. (B) One cluster that is significant for the Group × Condition × Grade interaction effect. All images are thresholded at p < 0.05 using Alphasim correction. The left side of the axial slices corresponds to the left side of the brain. The histograms show mean beta value extracted from each cluster. Error bars indicate one standard error of the mean. IPS, intraparietal sulcus; IPL, inferior parietal lobule; SFG, superior frontal gyrus; SMA, supplementary motor area; PG, precentral gyrus; MFG, middle frontal gyrus; G4, 4th grade; G6, 6th grade; * p Bonferroni corrected < 0.05; ** p Bonferroni corrected < 0.01; *** p Bonferroni corrected < 0.001. [Color figure can be viewed at

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

]

Figure 5

Figure 5

Brain‐behavior correlations in the AMC group. In each row, the left panel displays significant clusters in the AMC group, where higher accuracy is associated with lower brain activity. All images are thresholded at p < 0.05 using Alphasim correction. The left sides of the axial slices correspond to the left side of the brain. The right panel displays scatter distributions between mean beta values extracted from each cluster and accuracy in the mixed condition. IPS, intraparietal sulcus; IPL, inferior parietal lobule; SFG, superior frontal gyrus. [Color figure can be viewed at

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

]

Figure 6

Figure 6

Brain‐behavior correlations in the control group. In each row, the left panel displays significant clusters in the control group, where shorter RT is associated with greater brain activity. All images are thresholded at p < 0.05 using Alphasim correction. The left sides of the axial slices corresponded to the left side of the brain. The right panel displays scatter distributions between mean beta values extracted from each cluster and RT in the mixed condition. SMA, supplementary motor area; IPS, intraparietal sulcus; IPL, inferior parietal lobule. [Color figure can be viewed at

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

]

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