Faculty Collaboration Database

A parametric manipulation of factors affecting task-induced deactivation in functional neuroimaging. J Cogn Neurosci 2003 Apr 01;15(3):394-408

Date

05/06/2003

Pubmed ID

12729491

DOI

10.1162/089892903321593117

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0037391121 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   939 Citations

Abstract

Task-induced deactivation (TID) refers to a regional decrease in blood flow during an active task relative to a "resting" or "passive" baseline. We tested the hypothesis that TID results from a reallocation of processing resources by parametrically manipulating task difficulty within three factors: target discriminability, stimulus presentation rate, and short-term memory load. Subjects performed an auditory target detection task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), responding to a single target tone or, in the short-term memory load conditions, to target sequences. Seven task conditions (a common version and two additional levels for each of the three factors) were each alternated with "rest" in a block design. Analysis of covariance identified brain regions in which TID occurred. Analyses of variance identified seven regions (left anterior cingulate/superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus, left and right posterior cingulate gyrus, left posterior parieto-occipital cortex, and right precuneus) in which TID magnitude varied across task levels within a factor. Follow-up tests indicated that for each of the three factors, TID magnitude increased with task difficulty. These results suggest that TID represents reallocation of processing resources from areas in which TID occurs to areas involved in task performance. Short-term memory load and stimulus rate also predict suppression of spontaneous thought, and many of the brain areas showing TID have been linked with semantic processing, supporting claims that TID may be due in part to suspension of spontaneous semantic processes that occur during "rest" (Binder et al., 1999). The concept that the typical "resting state" is actually a condition characterized by rich cognitive activity has important implications for the design and analysis of neuroimaging studies.

Author List

McKiernan KA, Kaufman JN, Kucera-Thompson J, Binder JR

Author

Jeffrey R. Binder MD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Auditory Perception
Brain
Brain Mapping
Cerebrovascular Circulation
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory, Short-Term
Mental Processes
Middle Aged