How Skill Expertise Shapes the Brain Functional Architecture: An fMRI Study of Visuo-Spatial and Motor Processing in Professional Racing-Car and Naïve Drivers (original) (raw)

Functional reorganization of visuo-motor cortical networks in Formula 1 pilots versus naive drivers

2011

Professional racing pilots recruited a significantly lesser extent of task-relevant brain areas as compared to naive drivers during simple visuo-motor tasks, despite equal levels of performance . This more parsimonious cortical recruitment, found also in other highly skilled groups , may reflect a greater neural efficiency associated with expertise and it has been hypothesized to be accompanied by a distinctive (re-)organization of the way task-related regions interact among themselves [1]. Here we examined whether professional racers would show distinctive patterns of task-related functional brain regional correlations as compared to naive drivers and whether such distinctive networks would be engaged even for simple tasks that do not require any particular skill. That is, we expect the quantitatively different brain response observed in 'expert' to imply an underlying qualitative modification in brain functional organization.

The mind of expert motor performance is cool and focused

NeuroImage, 2007

Extraordinary motor skills required for expert athletic or music performance require longstanding and intensive practice leading to two critical skills, a level of maximal performance that far exceeds that of non-experts and a degree of privileged focus on motor performance that excludes intrusions. This study of motor planning in expert golfers demonstrated their brain activation during their pre-shot routine to be radically different than in novices. The posterior cingulate, the amygdala-forebrain complex, and the basal ganglia were active only in novices, whereas experts had activation primarily in the superior parietal lobule, the dorsal lateral premotor area, and the occipital area. The fact that these differences are apparent before the golfer swings the club suggests that the disparity between the quality of the performance of novice and expert golfers lies at the level of the organization of neural networks during motor planning. In particular, we suggest that extensive practice over a long period of time leads experts to develop a focused and efficient organization of task-related neural networks, whereas novices have difficulty filtering out irrelevant information.

Increase in brain activation due to sub-tasks during driving: fMRI study using new MR-compatible driving simulator

Journal of physiological anthropology, 2017

Several studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show that neural activity is associated with driving. fMRI studies have also elucidated the brain responses associated with driving while performing sub-tasks. It is important to note that these studies used computer mouses, trackballs, or joysticks to simulate driving and, thus, were not comparable to real driving situations. In order to overcome these limitations, we used a driving wheel and pedal equipped with an MR-compatible driving simulator (80 km/h). The subjects drove while performing sub-tasks, and we attempted to observe differences in neuronal activation. The experiments consisted of three blocks and each block consisted of both a control phase (1 min) and a driving phase (2 min). During the control phase, the drivers were instructed to look at the stop screen and to not perform driving tasks. During the driving phase, the drivers either drove (driving only condition) or drove while performing an a...

Functional MRI reveals expert-novice differences during sport-related anticipation

Neuroreport, 2010

We examined the effect of expertise on cortical activation during sports anticipation using fMRI. In Experiment 1, while recreational players predicted badminton stroke direction, the pattern of active clusters was consistent with a proposed perception-of-action network. This pattern was not replicated in a stimulus-matched, action-unrelated control task. In Experiment 2, players of three different skill levels anticipated stroke direction from clips occluded either 160ms before or 80ms after racquet-shuttle contact. Early-occluded sequences produced more activation than lateoccluded overall, in most cortical regions of interest, but experts showed an additional enhancement in medial, dorsolateral and ventrolateral frontal cortex. Anticipation in open-skill sports engages cortical areas integral to observing and understanding others' actions; such activity is enhanced in experts.

Neural processes distinguishing elite from expert and novice athletes

Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, 2014

This commentary builds on a companion article in which Kim et al compare brain activation in elite, expert, and novice archers during a simulated target aiming task (Kim et al. 2014. Cogn Behav Neurol. 27:173-182). With the archery study as our starting point, we address 4 neural processes that may be responsible in general for elite athletes' superior performance over experts and novices: neural efficiency, cortical expansion, specialized processes, and internal models. In Kim et al's study, the elite archers' brains showed more activity in the supplementary motor area and the cerebellum than those of the novices and experts, and showed minimal widespread activity, especially in frontal areas involved with executive control. Kim et al's results are consistent with the idea of specialized neural processes that help coordinate motor planning and control. As athletes become more skilled, these processes may mediate the reduction in widespread activity in regions mappin...

My heart is racing! Psychophysiological dynamics of skilled racecar drivers

Our purpose was to test the multi-action plan model assumptions in which athletes' psychophysiological patterns differ among optimal and suboptimal performance experiences. Nine professional drivers competing in premier race categories (e.g. Formula 3, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge) completed the study. Data collection involved monitoring the drivers' perceived hedonic tone, accuracy on core components of action, posture, skin temperature, respiration rate and heart rate responses during a 40-lap simulated race. Time marks, gathered at three standardised sectors, served as the performance variable. The A1GP racing simulator (Allinsport, Modena) established a realistic race platform. Specifically, the Barcelona track was chosen because of its inherently difficult nature characterised by intermittent deceleration points. Idiosyncratic analyses showed large individual differences in the drivers' psychophysiological profile, as well as distinct patterns in regards to optimal and suboptimal performance experiences. Limitations and future research avenues are discussed. Action-(e.g. attentional control) and emotion (e.g. biofeedback training)-centred applied sport psychology implications are advanced.

The neural substrates of driving at a safe distance: a functional MRI study

Neuroscience Letters, 2003

An important driving skill is the ability to maintain a safe distance from a preceding car. To determine the neural substrates of this skill we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging of simulated driving in 21 subjects. Subjects used a joystick to adjust their own driving speed in order to maintain a constant distance from a preceding car traveling at varying speeds. The task activated multiple brain regions. Activation of the cerebellum may reflect visual feedback during smooth tracking of the preceding car. Co-activation of the basal ganglia, thalamus and premotor cortex is related to movement selection. Activation of a premotor-parietal network is related to visuo-motor coordination. Task performance was negatively correlated with anterior cingulate activity, consistent with the role of this region in error detection and response selection. q