Working Memory Training Using Mental Calculation Impacts Regional Gray Matter of the Frontal and Parietal Regions
et al. (2011) Working Memory Training Using Mental Calculation Impacts Regional Gray Matter of
the Frontal and Parietal Regions. PLoS ONE 6(8): e23175. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023175
Working Memory Training Using Mental Calculation Impacts Regional Gray Matter of the Frontal and Parietal Regions
Hikaru Takeuchi 0
Yasuyuki Taki 0
Yuko Sassa 0
Hiroshi Hashizume 0
Atsushi Sekiguchi 0
Ai Fukushima 0
Ryuta Kawashima 0
Georges Chapouthier, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, France
0 1 Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan , 2 Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan , 3 Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan
Training working memory (WM) improves performance on untrained cognitive tasks and alters functional activity. However, WM training's effects on gray matter morphology and a wide range of cognitive tasks are still unknown. We investigated this issue using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), various psychological measures, such as non-trained WM tasks and a creativity task, and intensive adaptive training of WM using mental calculations (IATWMMC), all of which are typical WM tasks. IATWMMC was associated with reduced regional gray matter volume in the bilateral fronto-parietal regions and the left superior temporal gyrus. It improved verbal letter span and complex arithmetic ability, but deteriorated creativity. These results confirm the training-induced plasticity in psychological mechanisms and the plasticity of gray matter structures in regions that have been assumed to be under strong genetic control.
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Funding: This study was supported by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)/Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society and JST/Core
Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (no particular numbers exist). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to
publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Working memory (WM) is the limited capacity storage system
involved in the maintenance and manipulation of information over
short periods of time [1]. Individual working memory capacity
(WMC) is correlated with a wide range of cognitive functions [1].
On the other hand, WMC and creativity show a lot of opposing
psychological, pathological, pharmacological and genetic
characteristics (for detail, see [2]). Previous neuroimaging studies using
diverse imaging methods have investigated the neural correlates of
WM and WMC [1].
Previous studies have shown WM trainings effect on
psychological measures and neural systems. It has been shown that
training on cognitive tasks, including WM tasks, can improve
performance on trained tasks as well as on some untrained transfer
tasks such as memory tasks, intelligence, and response inhibition
tasks [3,4,5,6,7,8]. Also, while lateral prefrontal and parietal
regions play a key role in WM [8], altered patterns of brain activity
during the untrained cognitive tasks, altered density of cortical
dopamine D1 receptors, and altered white matter integrity after
training on WM tasks that are associated with prefrontal and
parietal regions have been demonstrated [4,5,8,9,10].
Nevertheless, no previous study has observed the effect of WM task training
on gray matter (GM) structures nor diverse cognitive functions
such as spatial abilities and creativity. Considering individual
working memory capacity (WMC) is correlated with a wide range
of cognitive functions [1], how the training of WM is associated
with changes of those cognitive function is a matter of interest.
Furthermore, previous neuroimaging studies that investigated the
effects of WM task training did not have appropriate control
groups with placebo training.
In this study, we focused on these unresolved issues using newly
developed computer-based mental calculation task training, which
requires manipulation of maintained information and is often
referred to as typical of WM tasks. Using various psychological
measures such as non-trained WM tasks and a creativity task,
along with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) [11], we investigated
the effects of training on WM tasks using mental calculation. VBM
has been widely used as a tool to investigate the structural change
following interventions at the whole brain level including
subcortical structures [12,13] and it yields very consistent results
with other voxel-based structural method as well as an ROI
analysis [14,15,16]. We hypothesized regional gray matter
structures in the lateral PFC and possibly parietal regions are
affected by the training. However, given the previous training
studies have shown training related increase, decrease and
nonlinear changes (decrease after transient increase) of re (...truncated)