Neuroplasticity in the adult brain following changes in cognitive processing

认知处理变化后成人大脑的神经可塑性

• 批准号: 419593-2012
• 负责人: Rule, Nicholas
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=506565
• 关键词: Neuroplasticity; adult; brain; following; changes

Neuroplasticity in human adults is a topic of much controversy. Despite demonstrations of neuroplasticity in non-mammals, claims of evidence in rodents and primates (including humans) have engendered skepticism from some scholars. In the face of this, other researchers have provided impressive evidence of neuroplasticity in the adult human hippocampus. Skeptics of neuroplasticity have therefore regarded the hippocampus to be an exception within the human brain. However, it is unresolved whether adults do show neuroplastic changes in other brain areas, such as the cortex, and direct tests of this possibility are lacking. One candidate variable that might instigate neuroplastic changes concerns the dramatic shifts in perceptual and cognitive processes that occur among individuals who migrate between two distinct cultures. The proposed work therefore presents three sets of studies aimed at elucidating whether human neuroplasticity may occur within the context of acculturation from East Asia to Canada. Brain responses in both subcortical and cortical structures previously implicated in cross-cultural neuroimaging studies of reward evaluation, representation of the self, and theory of mind will therefore be assessed with regard to the participants' adaptation from East Asian to Western values. To complement the fMRI findings, East Asian immigrants to Canada will complete individual differences measures of their acculturation to Canada and endorsement of Western values. As a cognitive neuroscientist with a background in cultural psychology, I am well-positioned to perform this work in Toronto, one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. This research therefore aims to elucidate the potential role of neuroplasticity in the adult human brain by measuring neural changes in response to a powerful and naturally-occurring predictor of changes in cognitive processes.

人类成年人的神经可塑性是一个引起争议的话题。尽管证明了非哺乳动物中的神经可塑性，但啮齿动物和灵长类动物（包括人类）的证据主张还是引起了一些学者的怀疑。面对这一点，其他研究人员在成年人类海马中提供了令人印象深刻的神经可塑性证据。因此，神经可塑性的怀疑论者认为海马是人脑中的一个例外。但是，尚未解决成年人是否确实在其他大脑区域（例如皮层）中表现出神经塑性变化，并且缺乏对这种可能性的直接测试。一种可能激发神经塑性变化的候选变量涉及在两种不同文化之间迁移的个体中发生的感知和认知过程的急剧变化。因此，拟议的工作提出了三套旨在阐明人类神经可塑性是否可能发生在从东亚到加拿大的文化背景下的研究。因此，将对参与者从东亚对西方价值观的适应性进行评估，将评估对奖励评估，自我表示和心理理论的先前涉及跨文化神经影像学研究的脑皮层和皮质结构的大脑反应。为了补充功能磁共振成像的发现，东亚移民到加拿大将完成对加拿大的适应性和对西方价值的认可的个体差异。作为具有文化心理学背景背景的认知神经科学家，我很容易在多伦多（多伦多）进行这项工作，这是世界上最多元文化的城市之一。因此，这项研究旨在通过测量对认知过程变化的强大且自然存在的预测指标来阐明神经可塑性在成年人大脑中的潜在作用。