Performance Types and Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 726-730
Author(s):  
Harumi Kobayashi ◽  
◽  
Tetsuya Yasuda
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Hemoglobin Concentration ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Pen Tablet ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

We investigated the relationship between performance types in skill acquisition and the use of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We used a modified mirror drawing task in which participants using a pen tablet repeated the tracing of a star displayed on a screen. Changes in cerebral blood flow were measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Participants conducted two tasks, mirror drawing, i.e., tracing a mirror image of a star, and an usual drawing, i.e., tracing a star. Performance was scored based on the number of errors and drawn lengths. Results suggested that two types of participants - those whose number of errors decreased when they repeated the task and those whose number of errors did not decrease. We thus concluded that (1) changes in oxy-hemoglobin concentration (Oxy-Hb) are higher in the mirror drawing task than in the usual drawing task; (2) oxy-Hb decreased in the right PFC when participants whose number of errors decreased repeated the task 4 days later, but did not decrease in the left PFC; (3) oxy-Hb decreased in the left PFC when participants whose number of errors did not decrease repeated the task 4 days later, but did not decrease in the right PFC. Our findings indicate that activation of the PFC can be used to assess skill levels in on-going tasks and may provide information on how to time assistance.

scholarly journals An Examination of the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Neurological Functioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-211
Author(s):  
Julie Petersen ◽  
Clarissa W. Ong ◽  
Allison S. Hancock ◽  
Ronald B. Gillam ◽  
Michael E. Levin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Clinical perfectionism is the rigid pursuit of high standards, interfering with functioning. Little research has explored neural patterns in clinical perfectionism. The present study explores neural correlates of clinical perfectionism, before and after receiving ten 50-minute, weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as compared to low-perfectionist controls, in specific cortical structures: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Participants in the perfectionist condition (n = 43) were from a randomized controlled trial evaluating ACT for clinical perfectionism and low-perfectionist controls were undergraduate students (n = 12). Participants completed three tasks (editing a passage, mirror image tracing, circle tracing) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure neural activation. Results indicate that ḥin the DLPFC and MPFC of the perfectionists whereas activation in the other tasks were relatively similar. There were no differences were observed in the right DLPFC, MPFC, and right IPL between the posttreatment perfectionist and nonperfectionist control groups. Our findings suggest an unclear relationship between neural activation and perfectionism.

scholarly journals Prefrontal hemodynamic responses and the degree of flow experience among occupational therapy students during their performance of a cognitive task

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Hirao
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Hemoglobin Concentration ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Flow Experience ◽  
Motivation To Learn ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: Although flow experience is positively associated with motivation to learn, the biological basis of flow experience is poorly understood. Accumulation of evidence on the underlying brain mechanisms related to flow is necessary for a deeper understanding of the motivation to learn. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between flow experience and brain function using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during the performance of a cognitive task. Methods: Sixty right-handed occupational therapy (OT) students participated in this study. These students performed a verbal fluency test (VFT) while 2-channel NIRS was used to assess changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (oxygenated hemoglobin [oxy-Hb]) in the prefrontal cortex. Soon after that, the OT students answered the flow questionnaire (FQ) to assess the degree of flow experience during the VFT. Results: Average oxy-Hb in the prefrontal cortex had a significant negative correlation with the satisfaction scores on the FQ. Conclusion: Satisfaction during the flow experience correlated with prefrontal hemodynamic suppression. This finding may assist in understanding motivation to learn and related flow experience.

scholarly journals Modifications in Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation in Linear and Curvilinear Dual Task Walking: A Combined fNIRS and IMUs Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6159
Author(s):  
Valeria Belluscio ◽  
Gabriele Casti ◽  
Marco Ferrari ◽  
Valentina Quaresima ◽  
Maria Sofia Sappia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Hemoglobin Concentration ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Gait Quality

Increased oxygenated hemoglobin concentration of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been observed during linear walking, particularly when there is a high attention demand on the task, like in dual-task (DT) paradigms. Despite the knowledge that cognitive and motor demands depend on the complexity of the motor task, most studies have only focused on usual walking, while little is known for more challenging tasks, such as curved paths. To explore the relationship between cortical activation and gait biomechanics, 20 healthy young adults were asked to perform linear and curvilinear walking trajectories in single-task and DT conditions. PFC activation was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, while gait quality with four inertial measurement units. The Figure-of-8-Walk-Test was adopted as the curvilinear trajectory, with the “Serial 7s” test as concurrent cognitive task. Results show that walking along curvilinear trajectories in DT led to increased PFC activation and decreased motor performance. Under DT walking, the neural correlates of executive function and gait control tend to be modified in response to the cognitive resources imposed by the motor task. Being more representative of real-life situations, this approach to curved walking has the potential to reveal crucial information and to improve people’ s balance, safety, and life’s quality.

Changes in prefrontal cortex near infrared spectroscopy activity as a function of difficulty in a visual P300 paradigm

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Rizer ◽  
Jacob S Aday ◽  
Joshua M Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Nir Spectroscopy ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Oddball Task ◽  
The Right ◽  
Visual P300 ◽  
P300 Event Related Potential

The P300 event-related potential is an index of attentional resources related to target detection. Source localization and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research has indicated that, among other regions, the prefrontal cortex contributes to the generation of the P300. Similar to fMRI, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy measures change in blood oxygen levels, but offers several advantages including portability, low expense, and superior temporal resolution. No studies to date have examined the extent to which prefrontal cortex NIR spectroscopy measures are active during the P300 paradigm. To address this knowledge gap, participants completed a two-difficulty visual oddball task in which NIR spectroscopy and P300 data were collected in a counterbalanced order. Confirmatory results indicate that the P300 event-related potential is attenuated as a function of task difficulty. Similarly, NIR spectroscopy measures of oxygenated hemoglobin in the right medial prefrontal cortex are attenuated as a function of task difficulty. The results suggest that prefrontal cortex NIR spectroscopy measures are sensitive to task difficulty in a visual P300 oddball task.

scholarly journals Brief Relaxation Practice Induces Significantly More Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Arithmetic Tasks Comparing to Viewing Greenery Images as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8366
Author(s):  
Zhisong Zhang ◽  
Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo ◽  
Syeda Fabeha Husain ◽  
Jessica Bose ◽  
Jongkwan Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Frontopolar Cortex ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Relaxation Practice ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Control

Background: There is little understanding on how brief relaxation practice and viewing greenery images would affect brain responses during cognitive tasks. In the present study, we examined the variation in brain activation of the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images, brief relaxation practice, and control task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Method: This randomized controlled study examined the activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in three groups of research participants who were exposed to viewing greenery images (n = 10), brief relaxation practice (n = 10), and control task (n = 11). The activation pattern of the PFC was measured pre- and post-intervention using a portable fNIRS device and reported as mean total oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO μm). Primary outcome of the study is the difference in HbO μm between post- and pre-intervention readings during a cognitive task that required the research participants to perform arithmetic calculation. Results: In terms of intervention-related differences, there was significant difference in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after brief relaxation practice (p < 0.05). There were significant increases in average HbO μm in the right frontopolar cortex (p = 0.029), the left frontopolar cortex (p = 0.01), and the left orbitofrontal cortex (p = 0.033) during arithmetic tasks after brief relaxation practice. In contrast, there were no significant differences in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images (p > 0.05) and the control task (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our preliminary findings show that brief relaxation practice but not viewing greenery images led to significant frontal lobe activation during arithmetic tasks. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that there was an increase in activation in neuroanatomical areas including the combined effort of allocation of attentional resources, exploration, and memory performance after the brief relaxation practice. Our findings suggest the possibility that the right frontopolar cortex, the left frontopolar cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex may be specifically associated with the benefits of brief relaxation on the brain.

scholarly journals Oxygenation of the Prefrontal Cortex during Memory Interference

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Crawford ◽  
Liye Zou ◽  
Paul D. Loprinzi
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Moderate Evidence ◽  
Memory Interference ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Memory interference occurs when information (or memory) to be retrieved is interrupted by competing stimuli. Proactive interference (PI) occurs when previously acquired information interferes with newly acquired information, whereas retroactive interference (RI) occurs when newly acquired information interferes with previously acquired information. In animal paradigms, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been shown to help facilitate pattern separation, and ultimately, attenuate memory interference. Research evaluating the role of the PFC on memory interference among humans is, however, limited. The present study evaluated the relationship between PFC oxygenation on memory interference among humans, with the null hypothesis being that there is no association between PFC oxygenation and memory interference. Methods: A total of 74 participants (Mage = 20.8 years) completed the study. Participants completed a computerized memory interference task using the AB-DE AC-FG paradigm, with PFC oxyhemoglobin levels measured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results: For PI, the change in oxygenated hemoglobin for encoding list 1 and retrieval of list 1 showed moderate evidence for the null hypothesis (BF01 = 4.05 and 3.28, respectively). For RI, the Bayesian analysis also established moderate evidence for the null hypothesis across all memory task time points. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates evidence of the null hypothesis regarding the relationship between PFC oxygenation and memory interference. Future work should continue to investigate this topic to identify mechanistic correlates of memory interference.

scholarly journals Prefrontal dysfunction associated with a history of suicide attempts among patients with recent onset schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Matsuoka ◽  
Shinsuke Koike ◽  
Yoshihiro Satomura ◽  
Naohiro Okada ◽  
Yukika Nishimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right

Abstract Suicide is a major cause of death in patients with schizophrenia, particularly among those with recent disease onset. Although brain imaging studies have identified the neuroanatomical correlates of suicidal behavior, functional brain activity correlates particularly in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia (ROSZ) remain unknown. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) recording with a high-density coverage of the prefrontal area, we investigated whether prefrontal activity is altered in patients with ROSZ having a history of suicide attempts. A 52-channel NIRS system was used to examine hemodynamic changes in patients with ROSZ that had a history of suicide attempts (n = 24) or that lacked such a history (n = 62), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 119), during a block-design letter fluency task (LFT). Patients with a history of suicide attempts exhibited decreased activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with those without such a history. Our findings indicate that specific regions of the prefrontal cortex may be associated with suicidal attempts, which may have implications for early intervention for psychosis.

scholarly journals Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals Abnormal Hemodynamics in the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Menopausal Depression Patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Yun Ma ◽  
Yong-Jun Wang ◽  
Bo Xu ◽  
Kun Feng ◽  
Gao-Xiang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Verbal Fluency Task ◽  
Left Dlpfc ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Right ◽  
Menopausal Depression

Background/Objective. Menopausal depression (MD) is characterized by depressive symptoms along with hormonal fluctuations. We investigate brain function alteration between major depressive disorder (MDD) and MD.Methods. The difference in oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) for the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was compared retrospectively among 90 females presented with 30 MDD, 30 MD, and 30 healthy controls (HCs) using verbal fluency task (VFT) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).Results. We observed a significant difference in Oxy-Hb alteration in the left dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) using VFT with NIRS (channel 18,P=0.007) between the MD and MDD groups. A significant difference in Oxy-Hb levels was observed among the three groups in the bilateral DLPFC (channels 18, 27, 33, 39, 41, and 45;P<0.05). Compared to the HCs, the MD group presented lower Oxy-Hb activation in the right DLPFC (channel 41;P=0.048) and the left DLPFC (channels 18, 39, and 45;P<0.05), and the MDD group presented lower Oxy-Hb activation in the right DLPFC (channels 27, 33, and 41;P<0.05) and the left DLPFC (channels 39 and 45;P<0.05).Conclusion. Abnormal hemodynamics of the left DLPFC can differentiate MD from MDD by NIRS.

scholarly journals Optical Mapping of Brain Activity Underlying Directionality and Its Modulation by Expertise in Mandarin/English Interpreting

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan He ◽  
Yinying Hu ◽  
Yaxi Yang ◽  
Defeng Li ◽  
Yi Hu
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
The Right

Recent neuroimaging research has suggested that unequal cognitive efforts exist between interpreting from language 1 (L1) to language 2 (L2) compared with interpreting from L2 to L1. However, the neural substrates that underlie this directionality effect are not yet well understood. Whether directionality is modulated by interpreting expertise also remains unknown. In this study, we recruited two groups of Mandarin (L1)/English (L2) bilingual speakers with varying levels of interpreting expertise and asked them to perform interpreting and reading tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to collect cortical brain data for participants during each task, using 68 channels that covered the prefrontal cortex and the bilateral perisylvian regions. The interpreting-related neuroimaging data was normalized by using both L1 and L2 reading tasks, to control the function of reading and vocalization respectively. Our findings revealed the directionality effect in both groups, with forward interpreting (from L1 to L2) produced more pronounced brain activity, when normalized for reading. We also found that directionality was modulated by interpreting expertise in both normalizations. For the group with relatively high expertise, the activated brain regions included the right Broca’s area and the left premotor and supplementary motor cortex; whereas for the group with relatively low expertise, the activated brain areas covered the superior temporal gyrus, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the Broca’s area, and visual area 3 in the right hemisphere. These findings indicated that interpreting expertise modulated brain activation, possibly because of more developed cognitive skills associated with executive functions in experienced interpreters.

scholarly journals Reforming Sectarian Beliefs in Iraq: Winning the Peace

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. p8
Author(s):  
Michael Oler ◽  
Anthony Johnson ◽  
Anna McCulloh ◽  
Munqith Dagher ◽  
Anita Day ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Frontal Pole ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Imaging Device ◽  
Neural Imaging ◽  
The Right

Sectarian violence continues in Iraq affecting regional and world security. Neuroscience techniques are used to assess the mentalizing process and counter-arguing in response to videos designed to prevent extremist radicalization. Measurement of neural activity in brain Regions of Interest (ROI) assists identification of messages which can promote favorable behavior. Activation of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC) is associated with message adoption and behavior change. Public Service Announcements (PSAs) have not been effective in reducing violence in Iraq. This study demonstrates that the four PSAs investigated in this study do not activate the MPFC. The RLPFC is a brain ROI associated with counter-arguing and message resistance. This study demonstrates that reduction in activity in the Right Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (RLPFC) is associated with decreased sectarianism. Engagement was measured and is associated with activity in the frontal pole regions.We introduce Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure the neural activity of highly sectarian Iraqis in response to these anti-sectarian messages. Neural activity was measured while viewing three PSAs and a fourth unpublished video. All four videos are intended to reduce sectarianism. A novel sectarianism scale is introduced to measure sectarian beliefs before and after the messages. This sectarian scale has high internal consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Measured activation of brain ROIs are correlated with changes in the sectarian scale. Twelve Sunni and twelve Shi’a Iraqis participated in the study. Subjects were shown the four videos in randomized order, while equipped with a fNIRS neural imaging device. All four videos produced significant engagement. None of the videos reduced sectarianism nor caused brain activation of adoption. This is consistent with the widely held Iraqi public perception that the PSAs are ineffective. Only one video, which was un-published, caused reduced sectarian beliefs. This un-published fourth video was associated with decreased counter-arguing. Counter-arguing is associated with message resistance.

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