Authors:

SCHWEIZER, S. GRAHN, J., HAMPSHIRE, A. MOBBS, D. Asuquo-Brown, C., DALGLEISH, T.

Reference:

Year of publication:

2011

CBU number:

7269

Abstract:

Increasing popularity of so-called brain-training has spurred research into improving cognitive control capacity (CCC), which has been associated with successful academic/professional performance and greater well-being. Preliminary evidence Suggests that extensive training on complex working memory (WM) tasks can augment CCC. However, little is known about the neural substrates underlying “brain”-training gains. We aimed to investigate the reality of braintraining by exploring changes in neural functioning associated with improved training performance and whether training translates to generalisable gains in CCC. 47 young adults were randomly assigned to a neutral or affective dual n-back training (DnT) or a non-CCC-dependent training control group. While all participants improved on their respective training tasks, only the DnT-groups showed transferable increases in CCC, as measured by WM improvements on an untrained task. In line with our understanding of the functional networks related to CCC, CCCgains were associated with greater activation decrease in posterior cingulate and parietal regions and with less increase in the anterior cingulate cortex. We further showed these CCC-improvements to extend beyond the control of neutral information to the type of emotional information (words and faces) we process in everyday life. Improved behavioral control over emotional information also elicited greater activation decreases in the right superior temporal regions and temporal pole. These findings show that brain-training does indeed train the brain and is associated with improved CCC, which optimizes functioning in our emotionally-laden environment. This training then could ultimately benefit not only the healthy population but also individuals suffering from anxiety or mood disorders.