Görevle ilgili programların frontoparietal bölgelerin aktivasyonunu nasıl etkilediğinin incelenmesi

We don't individually execute many components of goal directed tasks. We execute a temporally extended, goal-directed behaviour as one entity. Execution of extended behaviour that subsumes the entire task occurs via programs. Programs are related to the entire task. A program of a longer task requires larger programs than same but shorter task. A set of fronto-parietal regions (also known as Multiple Demans (MD) regions) activates in response to goal-directed task that requires cognitive control. Higher cognitive control demands of a task is associated with higher activity in MD regions. Is there any cognitive load different than the load stem from cognitive control demands? If the program loads differently than the typical cognitive load defined in the literature. If so, the activity pattern in MD regions should be different than the typical effect of cognitive load in MD regions. In this study, we investigated this issue. In the experiment, participants execute 3-back task in 2 conditions. One condition had high working memory load and high program load. The other condition had low working memory load and low program load. Results showed that activity in low working memory load conditions in MD regions was higher than the activity in high working memory condition. This indicates that the program load has different construction from working memory load so that, it reflects where different brain activity.