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Hemispheric asymmetry in human lateral prefrontal cortex during cognitive set shifting
Seiki Konishi1, Toshihiro Hayashi, Idai Uchida
1Department of Physiology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan. konishi@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Summary
Human brain hemispheres show specialized functions. This study reveals distinct roles for the left and right frontal cortex in cognitive set shifting, highlighting interhemispheric interaction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Human cerebral hemisphere organization exhibits asymmetrical specialization, commonly along a verbal/nonverbal axis.
- Cognitive set shifting involves adapting behavior based on environmental feedback, a critical executive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate asymmetrical specialization in cognitive set shifting using event-related functional MRI.
- To identify distinct neural correlates for different components of set shifting within the lateral frontal cortex.
Main Methods:
- Employed set-shifting paradigms derived from the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.
- Utilized event-related functional MRI (fMRI) to measure brain activity during task performance.
- Decomposed task requirements into temporal stages to analyze component brain activity.
Main Results:
- Observed a double dissociation of brain activity in bilateral lateral frontal cortex regions.
- Right hemisphere regions were activated during negative feedback exposure.
- Left hemisphere regions were activated during behavior updating.
Conclusions:
- Both hemispheres contribute to cognitive set shifting, but with distinct roles.
- Asymmetrical specialization suggests an interhemispheric interaction model for successful set shifting.