Hemodynamic Activity and Connectivity of the Prefrontal Cortex by Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during Color-Word Interference Test in Korean and English Language.

Gihyoun Lee,Seung-Ho Paik,Jun-Yong Hong,Mezie Laurence B Ortiz,Beop Min Kim,Young-Jin Jung,Seung Hyun Lee,Ji-Su Park

doi:10.3390/brainsci10080484

Abstract

In daily living, people are challenged to focus on their goal while eliminating interferences. Specifically, this study investigated the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) activity while attention control was tested using the self-made color-word interference test (CWIT) with a functional near-infrared spectroscopy device (fNIRS). Among 11 healthy Korean university students, overall the highest scores were obtained in the congruent Korean condition 1 (CKC-1) and had the least vascular response (VR) as opposed to the incongruent Korean condition 2 (IKC-2). The individual’s automatic reading response caused less brain activation while IKC-2 involves color suppression. Across the three trials per each condition, no significant differences (SD) in scores and in VR since there was no intervention did. Meanwhile, SD was observed between CKC-1 and English Congruent Condition 3 (ECC-3) across trials. However, SD was only observed on the third trial of VR. In the connectivity analysis, right and left PFC are activated on ECC-3. In CKC-1 and IKC-2, encompassing dorsomedial and dorsolateral although CKC-1 has less connection and connectivity due to less brain activation as compared. Therefore, aside from VR, brain connectivity could be identified non-invasively using fNIRS without ionizing radiation and at low-cost.

Highlights

In daily living, it is inevitable for an individual to be in a situation where distractions are not encountered
Using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy device (fNIRS) device, this study aims to determine the hemodynamic activity or the vascular response (VR) of the brain when attention control is tested using the self-made color-word interference test which is a modification of classic Stroop task
The are several available modalities being used nowadays in determining the brain’s activity and in particular, this study focused on the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) during the administration of self-made color-word interference test (CWIT) monitored by the fNIRS device to determine if there are any significant differences per trial, between trials in congruent Korean condition 1 (CKC-1) and IKC, between CKC-1 and CEC-3, and across trials using the test scores and VR

Summary

Introduction

It is inevitable for an individual to be in a situation where distractions are not encountered. Good control of focus is important to achieve a particular goal in mind while eliminating interferences. It is the pre-frontal cortex (PFC), a part of the brain that is responsible for exercising executive function during this kind of situation [1]. Many non-invasive modalities are being used to measure brain activity, one of those is the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) that is utilized in this study. It is considered as non-invasive, non-ionizing, easy to use, and low-cost that could improve patient’s quality of life [3]. Aside from those characteristics, Schroeter and colleagues [4]

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