Functional MRI study of digital working memory in the healthy old people

Objective To explore the activated brain regions of digital working memory in healthy old people using functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI).Methods fMRI was acquired in 15 healthy old subjects when they received digital working memory experiment with event-related design.AFNI was used to process data and localize functional areas of brain.Results The reaction time and correct ratio of the healthy older volunteers were(1 102.4±99.3) ms and(95.2±2.5)%,respectively.Bilateral precentral gyrus,fusiform gyrus,inferior occipital gyrus,cerebellum were activated during encode phase of the digital working memory task.Left precentral gyrus,postcentral gyrus,insula lobe,inferior and middle frontal gyrus,bilateral fusiform gyrus,putamen and right inferior frontal gyrus were activated during maintain phase.Bilateral putamen,thalamus,insula lobe,parietal lobule,left inferior frontal gyrus,postcentral gyrus,right superior and inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral cerebellum were activated during retrieve phase.Conclusions Left frontal lobe plays an important role in manipulating the information of the digital working memory.Left temporal lobe,parietal lobe and some other brain regions are also indispensable in the process.