Cortical thickness and functional connectivity changes in Chinese chess experts.
David J Ouellette1, Dan-Ling Hsu2, Patricia Stefancin2
1Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America.
Plos One
|October 7, 2020
Summary
Chinese chess experts show thinner cortical regions associated with memory and attention, with some areas exhibiting increased functional connectivity. These structural and functional brain changes are linked to enhanced visual processing and predictive abilities in chess.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Expertise acquisition through deliberate practice can induce structural and functional brain changes.
- These changes are attributed to mechanisms like long-term potentiation and neurogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical thickness differences between Chinese chess experts and novices using surface-based morphology (SBM).
- To explore resting-state functional connectivity variations using identified cortical regions as seeds.
Main Methods:
- Utilized T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI data from 29 chess experts and 29 novices.
- Applied surface-based morphometry with Freesurfer and statistical analysis (SPM, CONN) for cortical thickness and functional connectivity.
- Employed significance thresholds (p<0.05) and cluster false discovery rates (α < 0.05/0.01) for robust findings.
Main Results:
- Chess experts exhibited thinner cortical regions in areas related to visual processing, attention, memory, and mental imagery compared to novices.
- No regions showed increased cortical thickness in experts.
- Three thinner regions in experts demonstrated heightened functional connectivity with distant brain areas.
Conclusions:
- Structural brain alterations in chess experts are linked to cognitive processes crucial for expertise.
- Functional changes in these regions may support enhanced contextual information processing, visuospatial perception, and prediction in chess players.
