Transfer effect of working memory span training in college students: evidence from behavioral and magnetic resonance imaging / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the transfer effect of working memory span task training on n-back task and its accordant brain mechanism.Methods:First, a randomized controlled experiment was carried out in 60 college students.The training group ( n=30) received adaptive training on a working memory span task and the control group ( n=30) received low difficulty repeated practice.The difference on 2-back task between the two groups at posttest and pretest was compared.Next, 60 college students who received adaptive training were divided into high transfer group ( n=30) and low transfer group ( n=30) according to their improvement median on 2-back task.The differences of brain activation across the whole brain between the two groups at posttest and pretest were compared. Results:Compared with before training, the accuracy of the 2-back task in the training group increased significantly after training( F=21.45, P<0.001), in which the training group increased by (0.15±0.18). While the control group increased by (0.03±0.17), and the difference was not significant( F=0.99, P=0.327). Compared with the low transfer group, the activation of the right striatum in the high transfer group increased significantly (corrected P=0.028). There was a significant correlation between the change of striatum activation and the change of 2-back task accuracy ( R2=0.084; F=5.21, P=0.025). Conclusion:The working memory span training effect can be transferred to n-back task, and the striatum plays an important role in this transfer effect.