Aleman André, van't Wout Mascha
BCN NeuroImaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Neuropsychobiology. 2008;57(1-2):44-8. doi: 10.1159/000129666. Epub 2008 May 2.
The digit span task measures the maintenance of information in short-term memory, and is one of the most widely used tests in clinical and experimental neuropsychology. Functional imaging studies have suggested a role of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in digit span performance. It remains unclear however, whether activation of this area is critical for task performance. Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right DLPFC in a sham-controlled design, we tested the hypothesis of the involvement of the right DLPFC in digit span task performance. We observed a significant disruption of digit span performance in healthy subjects in the real rTMS condition as compared to the sham condition. This effect of rTMS did not differ between digits forward and digits backward. Our results suggest that the right DLPFC is critical for central executive processes utilized by the digits forward and backward tasks.
数字广度任务测量短期记忆中信息的保持情况，是临床和实验神经心理学中使用最广泛的测试之一。功能成像研究表明，右侧背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）在数字广度表现中发挥作用。然而，该区域的激活对于任务表现是否至关重要仍不清楚。在一项假对照设计中，我们对右侧DLPFC进行重复经颅磁刺激（rTMS），以检验右侧DLPFC参与数字广度任务表现的假设。与假刺激条件相比，我们观察到在真实rTMS条件下健康受试者的数字广度表现出现显著干扰。rTMS对顺背数字和倒背数字的影响没有差异。我们的结果表明，右侧DLPFC对于顺背和倒背数字任务所利用的中央执行过程至关重要。
