Changes in cortical activity after training of working memory--a single-subject analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Working memory (WM) capacity is crucial for cognitive skills but often considered fixed.
• Previous studies suggest computerized training can enhance WM.
• Group analyses showed increased prefrontal and parietal activity post-WM training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate individual changes in brain activity after working memory training using single-subject analysis.
• To examine the effects of intensive computerized WM training on brain function in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity before and after a five-week WM training program.
• Three young, healthy adults performed WM and baseline tasks during fMRI scans.
• Single-subject analysis focused on changes in brain activation patterns.

Main Results:

• Performance on WM tasks improved with practice and effects persisted for months.
• Training generalized to improve performance on untrained WM and reasoning tasks.
• WM-related brain activity significantly increased in the middle and inferior frontal gyrus post-training.

Conclusions:

• Working memory capacity is not fixed and can be enhanced through targeted cognitive training.
• WM training leads to increased activation extent in prefrontal cortex, similar to skill learning in primates.
• Changes in brain activity after WM training involve modifications in existing activated areas, not new ones.