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Brain hemodynamic response in Examiner-Examinee dyads during spatial short-term memory task: an fNIRS study
Francesco Panico1, Stefania De Marco2, Laura Sagliano2
1Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy. francesco.panico@unicampania.it.
Experimental Brain Research
|March 22, 2021
Summary
The Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) reveals that both examinees and examiners show similar prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity patterns. This brain activity in spatial working memory tasks follows a bell-shaped curve related to cognitive load.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Neuropsychology
Background:
- The Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) assesses spatial working memory (WM).
- Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) activation is known during CBT, but real-world neural correlates are understudied.
- CBT involves coordinated turn-taking between examiner and examinee.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural correlates of the CBT in a real-world setting.
- To examine PFC activity in examiner-examinee dyads during increasing and exceeding workload conditions.
- To determine if brain activity is coordinated between examiners and examinees during CBT.
Main Methods:
- Assessed Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) activity in examiner-examinee pairs during the Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT).
- Manipulated workload to conditions of increasing and exceeding spatial working memory span.
- Analyzed brain activity patterns in both participants within dyads.
Main Results:
- Examinee PFC activity peaked when cognitive load approached or matched their spatial WM span.
- Examiner PFC activity mirrored examinee patterns, showing a similar bell-shaped relationship with workload.
- Examiners exhibited increased left-hemisphere activity, suggesting non-spatial WM engagement.
Conclusions:
- Spatial working memory performance and brain activity exhibit a bell-shaped relationship with cognitive load.
- Examiner and examinee brain activity during CBT are coordinated.
- The study offers novel insights into the cognitive processes engaged by examiners during CBT.
