Cortical networks of executive function during mental arithmetic task

Abstract

Executive function is one of the cognitive abilities that perform updating response where it can restore new information and operate when needed. The aim of this paper was to investigate the functional cortical network for executive function during mental arithmetic task. Five healthy people participated to perform Mental Arithmetic task, i.e. subject must mentally subtracts 7 from a number, starting from 1000 and the answer became the new number and repeats the process. The task was performed 3 times and each lasted for 1 minute. Partial directed coherence was applied to analyze the information pathways of cortical networks. As a result, most signal sources that were activated while doing the task came from the frontal lobes irrespective of correct or incorrect answer. There were some signal sources that came from parietal and occipital regions. In conclusion, frontal lobe is use for updating response and the information is send to several points at parieto-centro-occipito area. Further research is needed with greater number of subjects.