Training conquers multitasking costs by dividing task representations in the frontoparietal-subcortical system

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Human Behavior

Background:

• Humans often struggle with multitasking due to processing limitations in frontoparietal and subcortical (FP-SC) brain regions.
• While training enhances multitasking, the underlying functional changes in the FP-SC system remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the FP-SC system functionally changes to support improved multitasking performance after training.
• To identify neural predictors of successful multitasking training outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Employed an individual differences approach with 100 participants undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
• Utilized multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to examine blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response patterns before and after training.
• Compared a multitasking training group with an active-control group.

Main Results:

• Multitasking improvements were predicted by divergent FP-SC BOLD response patterns to trained tasks following training.
• This neural divergence was specific to participants who underwent both component and combined task training.
• No such changes were observed in the active-control group.

Conclusions:

• The FP-SC system supports enhanced multitasking by segregating representations of constituent tasks.
• Training-induced functional changes in neural activity patterns are key to improving multitasking capabilities.