Brain hemodynamic response in Examiner–Examinee dyads during spatial short-term memory task: an fNIRS study

Panico, Francesco; De Marco, Stefania; Sagliano, Laura; D’Olimpio, Francesca; Grossi, Dario; Trojano, Luigi · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06073-0

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Summary

This study investigates the neural correlates of the Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT), a standard clinical measure of spatial working memory, by examining prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity in both examiners and examinees during real-world administration. While previous research utilized computerized versions or isolated participants in scanners, this work addresses the lack of data on brain activity in ecological settings where complementary behaviors and turn-taking occur. The authors hypothesized that PFC activity would increase with workload and that neural responses in examiners and examinees would parallel each other due to the interactive nature of the task. The researchers employed functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor hemodynamic responses in the PFC of 60 right-handed university students, randomly assigned to roles of Examiner or Examinee. Participants formed dyads and performed the CBT with sequence lengths ranging from two to ten cubes. To assess workload effects, the test continued beyond each examinee’s determined spatial span, creating conditions of increasing load (Span − 2 to Span) and exceeding load (Span + 1 to Span + 2). Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures ANOVA on oxygenated hemoglobin levels, distinguishing between execution and observation phases. Results revealed a significant quadratic relationship between cognitive workload and PFC activity. Brain activation increased as the workload approached the examinee’s span but decreased when the workload exceeded their capacity, suggesting disengagement or resource depletion. Crucially, examiners’ brain activity patterns mirrored those of the examinees, increasing and decreasing in tandem with the examinee’s performance. Examiners exhibited higher overall PFC activation than examinees, particularly in the left hemisphere during execution, likely reflecting the additional cognitive demands of rehearsing sequences and recording responses. Execution tasks consistently elicited higher activation than observation tasks for both groups. These findings provide original insights into the cognitive processes of examiners during neuropsychological testing, demonstrating that their brain activity is not passive but dynamically coordinated with the examinee’s workload. The study supports the existence of inter-brain synchronization in joint actions and highlights a bell-shaped curve between cognitive load and neural engagement. This suggests that clinical assessments involve complex, complementary neural interactions between examiner and examinee, challenging the view of testing as a unilateral process and emphasizing the ecological validity of studying dyadic interactions in cognitive neuroscience.

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• neuro workload indices