Taniguchi Seira, Higashi Yuichiro, Kataoka Hirotaka, Nakajima Hiroshi, Shimokawa Tetsuya
Center for Information and Neural Networks, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita, Japan.
Omron Corporation, Kizugawa, Japan.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2021 Oct 28;15:707502. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.707502. eCollection 2021.
The aim of this study was to identify the functional connectivity and networks utilized during tool-use in real assembly workers. These brain networks have not been elucidated because the use of tools in real-life settings is more complex than that in experimental environments. We evaluated task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging in 13 assembly workers (trained workers, TW) and 27 age-matched volunteers (untrained workers, UTW) during a tool-use pantomiming task, and resting-state functional connectivity was also analyzed. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of covariance was conducted with the group as a between-subject factor (TW > UTW) and condition (task > resting) as a repeated measure, controlling for assembly time and accuracy as covariates. We identified two patterns of functional connectivity in the whole brain within three networks that distinguished TW from UTW. TW had higher connectivity than UTW between the left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum Crus II (false discovery rate corrected -value, -FDR = 0.002) as well as between the left supplementary motor area and the pars triangularis of the right inferior frontal gyrus (-FDR = 0.010). These network integrities may allow for TW to perform rapid tool-use. In contrast, UTW showed a stronger integrity compared to TW between the left paracentral lobule and right angular gyrus (-FDR = 0.004), which may reflect a greater reliance on sensorimotor input to acquire complex tool-use ability than that of TW. Additionally, the fronto-parietal network was identified as a common network between groups. These findings support our hypothesis that assembly workers have stronger connectivity in tool-specific motor regions and the cerebellum, whereas UTW have greater involvement of sensorimotor networks during a tool-use task.
本研究的目的是确定实际装配工人在使用工具过程中所利用的功能连接和网络。由于在现实生活环境中使用工具比在实验环境中更为复杂，这些脑网络尚未得到阐明。我们在工具使用哑剧任务期间对13名装配工人（训练有素的工人，TW）和27名年龄匹配的志愿者（未训练的工人，UTW）进行了任务相关功能磁共振成像评估，同时也分析了静息态功能连接。以组作为组间因素（TW>UTW），条件（任务>静息）作为重复测量因素，进行双向重复测量协方差分析，并将装配时间和准确性作为协变量进行控制。我们在三个网络中识别出了全脑功能连接的两种模式，这两种模式区分了TW和UTW。TW在左颞中回和右小脑 Crus II之间的连接性高于UTW（错误发现率校正p值，-FDR = 0.002），以及在左辅助运动区和右额下回三角部之间的连接性高于UTW（-FDR = 0.010）。这些网络完整性可能使TW能够快速使用工具。相比之下，UTW在左中央旁小叶和右角回之间的完整性比TW更强（-FDR = 0.004），这可能反映出与TW相比，UTW在获取复杂工具使用能力时对感觉运动输入的依赖更大。此外，额顶叶网络被确定为两组之间的共同网络。这些发现支持了我们的假设，即装配工人在特定工具的运动区域和小脑中具有更强的连接性，而UTW在工具使用任务中感觉运动网络的参与度更高。
