Simulating a Computational Biological Model, Rather Than Reading, Elicits Changes in Brain Activity during Biological...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Biology Education
• Scientific Modeling

Background:

• Modeling is a core competency in undergraduate biology, yet its impact on students' neural representations is not well understood.
• Previous research has not fully explored how active simulation of models versus passive reading affects cognitive processes and brain activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of simulating a biological model on undergraduates' behavioral accuracy and neural responses.
• To compare neural patterns between students who simulated a computer model and those who read an expert analysis.

Main Methods:

• Thirty undergraduates participated, with groups either simulating a gene regulatory model or reading an expert analysis.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity during system-specific and system-general questions.
• Behavioral accuracy was assessed for both task types.

Main Results:

• Both groups exhibited similar behavioral accuracy.
• The simulation group showed significantly higher brain activation in the right cuneal and postcentral regions (system-specific task) and posterior insula and cingulate gyrus (system-general task).
• Behavioral accuracy correlated with lateral prefrontal brain activity, irrespective of the instructional group.

Conclusions:

• Neuroimaging can detect neural representation changes not apparent in behavioral data.
• Simulating biological models engages distinct neural networks compared to passively reading analyses.
• Findings provide a basis for understanding how pedagogical methods influence neural engagement in biological reasoning.