Cognitive traits shape the brain activity associated with mental rotation.

IF 2.9 2区医学 Q2 NEUROSCIENCES

Cerebral cortex Pub Date : 2025-04-01 DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf069

Nadia M Bersier, Eleonora Fornari, Raffaella I Rumiati, Silvio Ionta

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mental rotation is a spatial cognitive ability influenced by several factors, including cognitive traits. However, the relationship between mental rotation performance, cognitive traits, and brain activity is still uncertain. To fill this gap, we recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging data while 55 neurotypical participants performed mental rotation with images of geometric objects, human bodies, and real objects. Cognitive traits were evaluated through the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (visual cognitive style), a perspective-taking task, and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale. Analysis of accuracy and reaction time revealed that (i) mental rotation in spatial-visualizers was more accurate and faster than in object-visualizers, and (ii) visual cognitive style and perspective-taking positively correlated with mental rotation. Brain activity data indicated that (i) individuals with better mental rotation performance had smaller brain activation, particularly in sensorimotor regions, (ii) for the spatial-visual scale and perspective-taking, high scorers had smaller brain activity than low performers, (iii) for the object-visual scale, high scorers had greater brain activity than low scorers. Supporting a neural efficiency hypothesis, the present study highlights the influence of cognitive traits on mental rotation performance and brain efficiency, with spatial-visualizers showing more efficient neural processing. These findings contribute to our understanding of how cognitive styles shape spatial cognition.

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认知特征塑造了与心理旋转相关的大脑活动。

心理旋转是一种受多种因素影响的空间认知能力，包括认知特征。然而，心理旋转表现、认知特征和大脑活动之间的关系仍不确定。为了填补这一空白，我们记录了55名神经正常的参与者用几何物体、人体和真实物体的图像进行心理旋转时的功能性磁共振成像数据。认知特征通过客体空间意象问卷（视觉认知风格）、换位思考任务和认知灵活性量表进行评估。准确度和反应时间分析表明，空间观想者的心理旋转比物体观想者更准确、更快；视觉认知方式和换位思考与心理旋转呈正相关。大脑活动数据表明：(1)心理旋转表现较好的个体，其大脑活动较小，特别是在感觉运动区域；(2)在空间-视觉尺度和换位思考方面，得分高的人的大脑活动小于得分低的人；(3)在物体-视觉尺度上，得分高的人的大脑活动大于得分低的人。支持神经效率假说，本研究强调了认知特征对心理旋转表现和大脑效率的影响，空间可视化者表现出更有效的神经处理。这些发现有助于我们理解认知风格如何塑造空间认知。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cerebral cortex 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

8.10%

发文量

510

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Cerebral Cortex publishes papers on the development, organization, plasticity, and function of the cerebral cortex, including the hippocampus. Studies with clear relevance to the cerebral cortex, such as the thalamocortical relationship or cortico-subcortical interactions, are also included. The journal is multidisciplinary and covers the large variety of modern neurobiological and neuropsychological techniques, including anatomy, biochemistry, molecular neurobiology, electrophysiology, behavior, artificial intelligence, and theoretical modeling. In addition to research articles, special features such as brief reviews, book reviews, and commentaries are included.