Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults
The present study examined the evolution of the behavioral performance, subjectively perceived difficulty, and hemodynamic activity of the prefrontal cortex as a function of cognitive load during two different cognitive tasks tapping executive functions. Additionally, it investigated the relationshi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/11/1462 |
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| author | Nounagnon Frutueux Agbangla Michel Audiffren Jean Pylouster Cédric T. Albinet |
| author_facet | Nounagnon Frutueux Agbangla Michel Audiffren Jean Pylouster Cédric T. Albinet |
| author_sort | Nounagnon Frutueux Agbangla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present study examined the evolution of the behavioral performance, subjectively perceived difficulty, and hemodynamic activity of the prefrontal cortex as a function of cognitive load during two different cognitive tasks tapping executive functions. Additionally, it investigated the relationships between these behavioral, subjective, and neuroimaging data. Nineteen right-handed young adults (18–22 years) were scanned using continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy during the performance of n-back and random number generation tasks in three cognitive load conditions. Four emitter and four receptor optodes were fixed bilaterally over the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices to record the hemodynamic changes. A self-reported scale measured the perceived difficulty. The findings of this study showed that an increasing cognitive load deteriorated the behavioral performance and increased the perceived difficulty. The hemodynamic activity increased parametrically for the three cognitive loads of the random number generation task and in a two-back and three-back compared to a one-back condition. In addition, the hemodynamic activity was specifically greater in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex than in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for both cognitive tasks (random number generation and n-back tasks). Finally, the results highlighted some links between cerebral oxygenation and the behavioral performance, but not the subjectively perceived difficulty. Our results suggest that cognitive load affects the executive performance and perceived difficulty and that fNIRS can be used to specify the prefrontal cortex’s implications for executive tasks involving inhibition and working memory updating. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:14:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87e3357125fd40f6b8017e3c9963cc99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:14:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-87e3357125fd40f6b8017e3c9963cc992023-11-24T03:56:19ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252022-10-011211146210.3390/brainsci12111462Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young AdultsNounagnon Frutueux Agbangla0Michel Audiffren1Jean Pylouster2Cédric T. Albinet3Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Sport Santé Société (URePSSS), Université d’Artois, Université de Lille, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, ULR 7369, 62800 Liévin, FranceCentre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers, CNRS, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société, 5 Rue Théodore Lefebvre TSA 21103, CEDEX 9, 86073 Poitiers, FranceCentre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers, CNRS, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société, 5 Rue Théodore Lefebvre TSA 21103, CEDEX 9, 86073 Poitiers, FranceLaboratoire Sciences de la Cognition, Technologie, Ergonomie (SCoTE-EA7420), Université de Toulouse, INU Champollion, 81012 Albi, FranceThe present study examined the evolution of the behavioral performance, subjectively perceived difficulty, and hemodynamic activity of the prefrontal cortex as a function of cognitive load during two different cognitive tasks tapping executive functions. Additionally, it investigated the relationships between these behavioral, subjective, and neuroimaging data. Nineteen right-handed young adults (18–22 years) were scanned using continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy during the performance of n-back and random number generation tasks in three cognitive load conditions. Four emitter and four receptor optodes were fixed bilaterally over the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices to record the hemodynamic changes. A self-reported scale measured the perceived difficulty. The findings of this study showed that an increasing cognitive load deteriorated the behavioral performance and increased the perceived difficulty. The hemodynamic activity increased parametrically for the three cognitive loads of the random number generation task and in a two-back and three-back compared to a one-back condition. In addition, the hemodynamic activity was specifically greater in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex than in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for both cognitive tasks (random number generation and n-back tasks). Finally, the results highlighted some links between cerebral oxygenation and the behavioral performance, but not the subjectively perceived difficulty. Our results suggest that cognitive load affects the executive performance and perceived difficulty and that fNIRS can be used to specify the prefrontal cortex’s implications for executive tasks involving inhibition and working memory updating.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/11/1462fNIRScerebral oxygenationworking memoryinhibitionexecutive functionscognitive load |
| spellingShingle | Nounagnon Frutueux Agbangla Michel Audiffren Jean Pylouster Cédric T. Albinet Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults Brain Sciences fNIRS cerebral oxygenation working memory inhibition executive functions cognitive load |
| title | Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults |
| title_full | Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults |
| title_fullStr | Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults |
| title_short | Load-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation Assessed by Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Two Executive Tasks with Three Cognitive Loads in Young Adults |
| title_sort | load dependent prefrontal cortex activation assessed by continuous wave near infrared spectroscopy during two executive tasks with three cognitive loads in young adults |
| topic | fNIRS cerebral oxygenation working memory inhibition executive functions cognitive load |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/11/1462 |
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