Abstract
This study aimed to compare the dynamics of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), between adult and adolescent chess players, during chess-based problem-solving tasks of increasing level of difficulty, relying on the identification of changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and hemoglobin (HHb) through the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) method. Thirty male federated chess players (mean age: 24.15 ± 12.84 years), divided into adults and adolescents, participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants were asked to solve three chess problems with different difficulties (low, medium, and high) while changes in HbO2 and HHb were measured over the PFC in real-time with an fNIRS system. Results indicated that the left prefrontal cortex (L-PFC) increased its activation with the difficulty of the task in both adolescents and adults. Interestingly, differences in the PFC dynamics but not in the overall performance were found between adults and adolescents. Our findings contributed to a better understanding of the PFC resources mobilized during complex tasks in both adults and adolescents.
Highlights
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been thoroughly described as the center of cognitive function, being involved in executive functions that include decision-making and problem-solving, taking part in attention, memory, planning, motor control, and cognitive flexibility [1,2,3]
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the dynamics of the PFC activation during chess-based problem-solving tasks with fNIR spectroscopy
The PFC dynamics differ in adults and adolescents, corresponding to a more efficient cortical organization in the adult players for the same overall level of performance
Summary
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been thoroughly described as the center of cognitive function, being involved in executive functions that include decision-making and problem-solving, taking part in attention, memory, planning, motor control, and cognitive flexibility [1,2,3]. The PFC, called the frontal associative cortex and the Magister of the mind [4], is heavily interconnected with other brain regions, receiving quite diverse sensory and cognitive inputs based on which overall coordination of behavior is implemented. This brain region, the dorsolateral part, is responsible for the temporal organization of behavior, language, and reasoning [5], and the definition and coordination of plans for action [6] entailing its conceptualization and flexibility to the environmental demands [7]. Playing Chess is a particular and Sensors 2020, 20, 3917; doi:10.3390/s20143917 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
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