title: Increased integrity of white matter pathways after dual n-back training.
abstract: Dual n-back WM training has been shown to produce broad transfer effects to different untrained cognitive functions. The task is demanding to the cognitive system because it includes a bi-modal (auditory and visual) dual-task component. A previous WM training study showed increased white matter integrity in the parietal lobe as well as the anterior part of the corpus callosum after visual n-back training. We investigated dual n-back training-related changes in white matter pathways. We anticipated dual n-back training to increase white matter integrity in pathways that connect brain regions related to WM processes. Additionally, we hypothesized that dual n-back training would produce more brain-wide white matter changes than single n-back training because of the involvement of two modalities and the additional dual-task coordination component of the task. The dual n-back training group showed increased white matter integrity (reflected as increased fractional anisotropy, FA) after training. The effects were mostly left lateralized as compared with changes from pretest to posttest in the passive and active control groups. Additionally, significant effects were observed in the anterior part of the corpus callosum, when the training group was compared with the passive control group. There were no changes in pretest to posttest FA changes between the passive and active control groups. The results therefore show that dual n-back training produces increased integrity in white matter pathways connecting different brain regions. The results are discussed in reference to the bi-modal dual-task component of the training task.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: tiina.salminen@hu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: johan.ma@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mårtensson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.affiliation: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kühn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000069550:Machine Learning; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Plasticity; White matter; Working memory training