Behavioural and prefrontal and parietal functional and structural MRI changes associated with working memory training

人脑具有随经验变化和修改的能力。经验，包括认知训练，会引起大脑的变化，这些大脑变化可以使用行为测量(例如，认知任务的表现)和使用结构和功能磁共振成像来衡量。关于工作记忆(即维持和处理信息的能力)的实验室培训文献表明，培训可以提高未练习的任务，包括相关领域(如反应抑制)和液态智力(即推理和解决新问题的能力)。由于工作记忆与更广泛的智力结构有关，所以对工作记忆的训练可能会概括到没有具体实践的任务和过程。在这个研究项目中，我们将调查工作记忆训练的结果是如何改变工作记忆表现、未经训练的认知能力、液态智力以及前额叶和顶叶皮质区域，以及这些改变是否在短期内通过行为以及功能和结构磁共振来衡量。我们假设，工作记忆训练可以改善认知表现和液态智力，并增加前额叶和顶叶灰质的功能和结构。此外，我们假设，通过工作记忆训练获得的行为和大脑收益将在短期内保持不变。拟议中的研究项目有能力向当前的知识提供关于认知和大脑如何随着工作记忆训练而变化，以及工作记忆训练可能如何与液态智力相关的知识。如果工作记忆训练可以可靠地影响液态智力，而且这些变化被发现是可持续的，那么这些发现将对传统上认为液态智力相对固定的理论产生很大影响。

The human brain has the capacity to change and modify with experience. Experience, including cognitive training, causes changes in the brain and these brain changes can be measured using behavioural measures (e.g., performance on cognitive tasks) and using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging. The laboratory training literature on working memory (i.e., ability to maintain and manipulate information) demonstrates that training can lead to improvement on non-practiced tasks, including related domains (e.g., response inhibition) and fluid intelligence (i.e., ability to reason and solve novel problems). Training on working memory may generalize to tasks and processes not specifically practiced as working memory is associated with the broader construct of intelligence. In this research program we will investigate how working memory performance, non-trained cognitive abilities, fluid intelligence, and prefrontal and parietal cortical regions change as a result of working memory training and whether these changes are maintained in the short-term as measured by behaviour and functional and structural MRI. We hypothesize that working memory training improves cognitive performance and fluid intelligence and increases prefrontal and parietal grey matter function and structure. Additionally, we hypothesize that the behavioural and brain gains made through working memory training will be retained in the short-term. The proposed research program has the ability to inform current knowledge about how cognition and the brain change with working memory training and how working memory training may relate to fluid intelligence. If working memory training can reliably influence fluid intelligence and these changes are found to be sustainable, these findings would have a large impact on theories that traditionally view fluid intelligence as relatively fixed.