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Reduced caudate volume and enhanced striatal-DMN integration in chess experts
Xujun Duan1, Sheng He, Wei Liao
1Key laboratory for Neuroinformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China.
Extensive chess practice leads to structural brain changes in the caudate nucleus. Grandmasters show reduced gray matter volume and enhanced functional connectivity with the default mode network (DMN), improving cognitive control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Chess expertise relies on rapid automatic processing, potentially mediated by the caudate nucleus.
- Long-term skill practice may induce structural brain alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if prolonged chess practice causes structural changes in the caudate nucleus.
- To examine functional connectivity changes in the caudate nucleus of chess experts.
Main Methods:
- Compared gray-matter volume in the caudate nuclei of chess grandmasters/masters (GM/Ms) and novices using MRI.
- Utilized resting-state fMRI to analyze functional connectivity with the caudate nucleus as a seed region.
Main Results:
- GM/Ms exhibited significantly smaller gray-matter volume in bilateral caudate nuclei compared to novices.
- Enhanced functional integration was observed between the caudate nucleus and the default mode network (DMN) in GM/Ms.
Conclusions:
- Extensive chess practice induces structural changes in the caudate nucleus.
- Altered caudate nucleus connectivity supports advanced cognitive control in chess experts.
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