title: Novel motor and somatosensory activity is associated with increased cerebral cortical blood volume measured by near-infrared optical topography.
abstract: Recent reports suggest that learning is enhanced by emotion, spontaneity, and play. The mechanisms of this enhancement are unclear and might involve increased cortical stimulation by the limbic system. Since neuronal activity is tightly coupled to changes in cerebral blood flow and volume, the demonstration of increased cortical blood volume during playful versus routine motor and somatosensory activity would imply enhanced neuronal activity and provide insight into the complex interaction between play and learning. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to detect changes in cortical blood volume during performance of (1) rudimentary visual, motor, and speech tasks; (2) integration of the tasks in a familiar routine manner; and (3) integration of the tasks in a novel, spontaneous, playful manner. No significant differences in cortical blood volume were found during the performance of the individual rudimentary tasks and their routine integration. However, the novel integration activity was associated with a significantly greater increase in frontal lobe oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and total hemoglobin, as well as parietal lobe total hemoglobin. This small pilot study provides a limited measure of physiologic support for a relationship between play and learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffery L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peyton
authors.forename: W Thomas
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Bass
authors.forename: Bonnie L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: L Matthew
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D013060:Speech; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014796:Visual Perception