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

人类的大脑有能力根据经验进行改变和修正。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。关于工作记忆的实验室培训文献（即，保持和操纵信息的能力）证明了训练可以导致对非实践任务的改进，包括相关领域（例如，反应抑制）和流体智力（即，推理和解决新问题的能力）。工作记忆的训练可以推广到没有专门练习的任务和过程，因为工作记忆与更广泛的智力结构有关。在这项研究计划中，我们将调查工作记忆的表现，非训练的认知能力，流体智力，以及前额叶和顶叶皮层区域的变化，作为工作记忆训练的结果，以及这些变化是否在短期内保持通过行为和功能和结构MRI测量。我们假设，工作记忆训练可以提高认知能力和液体智力，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留。拟议的研究计划有能力告知当前的知识，即认知和大脑如何随着工作记忆训练而变化，以及工作记忆训练如何与流体智力相关。如果工作记忆训练可以可靠地影响流体智力，并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流体智力相对固定的理论产生重大影响。

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.