Investigating Brain Activation and Neural Effi cacy During Simple Arithmetic Addition Task in Quiet and in Noise: An fMRI Study
- Author:
Ng Sok Bee
;
Ahmad Nazlim Yusoff
;
Teng Xin Ling
;
Aini Ismafairus Abd. Hamid
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Brain activation, statistical parametric mapping, hemodynamic, t statistic
- From:Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences
2014;12(1):23-33
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Knowledge about the hemodynamic model that mediates synaptic activity and measured magnetic resonance signal is
essential in understanding brain activation. Neural effi cacy is a hemodynamic parameter that would change the evoked
hemodynamic responses. In this work, brain activation and neural effi cacy of the activated brain areas during simple
addition task in two different backgrounds were studied using fMRI. The objectives were to determine the activated areas
during the performance of arithmetic addition in quiet (AIQ) and noisy (AIN) background and to investigate the relationship
between neural effi cacy and height extent of activation for the respective areas. Eighteen healthy male participants
performed simple arithmetic addition in quiet and in noise. Bilateral cerebellum, superior temporal gyrus (STG), temporal
pole (TP) and supplementary motor area (SMA) were signifi cantly (p < 0.05) activated during AIQ and AIN. Left middle
frontal gyrus (L-MFG), right superior frontal gyrus (R-SFG), right superior orbital gyrus (R-SOG) and bilateral insula were
more active in quiet as compared to in noise while the left middle cingulate cortex (L-MCC), left amygdala (L-AMG), right
temporal pole (R-TP) and left cerebellum (L-CER) were more active in noise as compared to in quiet. The t value for most
of the activated regions was found to be inversely proportional to the neural effi cacy. Signifi cant (p < 0.05) negative
relationship between t value and neural effi cacy were found for R-STG and bilateral cerebellum during AIQ, while for AIN,
similar relationships were found in R-CER, R-STG and R-TP. This study suggests that while being signifi cantly activated,
the hemodynamic responses of these brain regions could have been suppressed by the stimulus resulting in an intensity
decrease with increasing neural efficacy
- Full text:W020150511318099615316.pdf
