| Project/Area Number |
14310041
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
実験系心理学
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| Research Institution | Osaka University of Foreign Studies |
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Principal Investigator |
OSAKA Mariko Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Professor, 外国語学部, 教授 (70144300)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
OSAKA Naoyuki Kyoto University, Faculty of Letters, Professor, 大学院・文学研究科, 教授 (20113136)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥11,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥11,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥4,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥5,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,500,000)
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| Keywords | Working memory / executive function / neural base / Span task / focus of attention / リーデングスパンテスト |
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| Research Abstract |
Working memory refers to the immediate brain processes involved in the simultaneous storage and processing of information in cognitive function.
In the present research, using fMRI, neural bases of the executive function were investigated with respect to differences in working memory capacity. To explore the executive control processes, Reading span test (RST) and Listening span test (LST) were performed. Two subject groups were selected : those with large working memory capacities, labeled high-span subjects (HSS) according to the reading span test, and those with small working memory capacities, labeled low-span subjects (LSS). Significant activation was found mainly in two regions in comparison with the control : anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). For both groups, the fMRI signal intensity increased in ACC and DLPFC during the RST and LST condition. A group difference was also found in the ACC and DLPFC region. Behavioral data also showed th
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at the performance was better in HSS than in LSS. Moreover, the cross correlation of signal change between ACC and DLPFC was higher in HSS than in LSS, indicating that the network system between ACC and DLPFC was more activated in HSS compared to that of LSS. These results suggest that the executive function, i.e., attention controlling system especially focusing of attention is more active in HSS than in LSS. Moreover, the results confirmed that the neural basis for the central executive function was common in both RST and previous LST (listening span test) tasks despite differences in modality-specific buffers.
The advantage of executive function of HSS would take the form of a superior attention controlling system : i.e., focusing attention and inhibition of attention. Since effective activation and inhibition processes are required and highly crucial in the language processing, the HSS's efficient attention controlling system facilitates their language comprehension tasks as observed in behavioral data. Less
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