Differential dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during a verbal n-back task according to sensory modality.
Functional neuroimaging studies carried out on healthy volunteers while performing different n-back tasks have shown a common pattern of bilateral frontoparietal activation, especially of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Our objective was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the pattern of brain activation while performing two similar n-back tasks which differed in their presentation modality. Thirteen healthy volunteers completed a verbal 2-back task presenting auditory stimuli, and a similar 2-back task presenting visual stimuli. A conjunction analysis showed bilateral activation of frontoparietal areas including the DLPFC. The left DLPFC and the superior temporal gyrus showed a greater activation in the auditory than in the visual condition, whereas posterior brain regions and the anterior cingulate showed a greater activation during the visual than during the auditory task. Thus, brain areas involved in the visual and auditory versions of the n-back task showed an important overlap between them, reflecting the supramodal characteristics of working memory. However, the differences found between the two modalities should be considered in order to select the most appropriate task for future clinical studies.
Rodriguez-Jimenez
Roberto
R
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Spain. roberto.rodriguez.jimenez@gmail.com
Avila
Cesar
C
Garcia-Navarro
Cristina
C
Bagney
Alexandra
A
Aragon
Ana Martinez de
AM
Ventura-Campos
Noelia
N
Martinez-Gras
Isabel
I
Forn
Cristina
C
Ponce
Guillermo
G
Rubio
Gabriel
G
Jimenez-Arriero
Miguel Angel
MA
Palomo
Tomas
T
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*