扁桃体の活動がワーキングメモリ課題と関連

Individual differences in amygdala activity predict response speed during working memory

Schaefer A, Braver TS, Reynolds JR, Burgess GC, Yarkoni T, Gray JR

J Neurosci. 2006 Oct 4;26(40):10120-8

　

The human amygdala has classically been viewed as a brain structure primarily related to emotions and dissociated from higher cognition. We report here findings suggesting that the human amygdala also has a role in supporting working memory (WM), a canonical higher cognitive function. In a first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (n = 53), individual differences in amygdala activity predicted behavioral performance in a 3-back WM task. Specifically, higher event-related amygdala amplitude predicted faster response time (RT; r = -0.64), with no loss of accuracy. This relationship was not contingent on mood state, task content, or personality variables. In a second fMRI study (n = 21), we replicated the key finding (r = -0.47) and further showed that the correlation between the amygdala and faster RT was specific to a high working memory load condition (3-back) compared with a low working memory load condition (1-back). These results support models of amygdala function that can account for its involvement not only in emotion but also higher cognition.

扁桃体 amygdala の活動がワーキングメモリ課題における反応時間と負の相関 (つまり活動が高いほど反応時間が短い) を持つ。この相関は負荷の高い課題を行っている場合 (3バック課題) にだけ見られた。扁桃体は感情のみならず高次認知機能にも関わっている。



BOLD信号と反応時間の個人差との相関を取るわけだけれど、n=53 てのはなかなかすごい。このくらいやれば信頼性は充分かな。