The Synapse Project: Engagement in mentally challenging activities enhances neural efficiency.
The Synapse Project: Engagement in mentally challenging activities enhances neural efficiency.
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DOI：
10.3233/rnn-150533
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发表时间：
2015
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Park DC
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McDonough IM;Haber S;Bischof GN;Park DC
相关和有限的实验证据表明，参与的生活方式与老年认知活力的维持有关。然而，这些参与效应背后的机制知之甚少。我们假设心理努力是参与效应的基础，并使用fMRI检查高挑战性活动（数码摄影和绗缝）与低挑战性活动（社交或执行低挑战性认知任务）相比，在前测，后测和参与计划后一年对神经功能的影响。在扫描仪中，参与者执行了两个难度级别的语义分类任务，以评估大脑活动对任务要求的调制。高挑战组，而不是低挑战组，显示出增加调制的大脑活动在内侧额叶，侧颞叶和顶叶皮层区域与注意力和语义处理，其中一些是保持一年后。这种增加的调节源于高挑战组在轻松条件下大脑活动的减少，并与致力于该计划的时间，年龄和认知有关。持续参与认知要求高的活动，通过提高神经效率促进认知。具有精神挑战性的活动可能具有神经保护作用，是维持健康大脑到成年后期的重要因素。
Correlational and limited experimental evidence suggests that an engaged lifestyle is associated with the maintenance of cognitive vitality in old age. However, the mechanisms underlying these engagement effects are poorly understood. We hypothesized that mental effort underlies engagement effects and used fMRI to examine the impact of high-challenge activities (digital photography and quilting) compared with low-challenge activities (socializing or performing low-challenge cognitive tasks) on neural function at pretest, posttest, and one year after the engagement program. In the scanner, participants performed a semantic-classification task with two levels of difficulty to assess the modulation of brain activity in response to task demands. The High-Challenge group, but not the Low-Challenge group, showed increased modulation of brain activity in medial frontal, lateral temporal, and parietal cortex—regions associated with attention and semantic processing—some of which were maintained a year later. This increased modulation stemmed from decreases in brain activity during the easy condition for the High-Challenge group and was associated with time committed to the program, age, and cognition. Sustained engagement in cognitively demanding activities facilitated cognition by increasing neural efficiency. Mentally-challenging activities may be neuroprotective and an important element to maintaining a healthy brain into late adulthood.