Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neural Mechanism of Mental Imagery in Problem Solving

  • Conference paper
Brain and Health Informatics (BHI 2013)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 8211))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 2851 Accesses

Abstract

To investigate the role of mental imagery during heuristic problem solving, we took 4×4 sudoku as a new paradigm in this study. There were two experimental conditions, one was split meant participant needed to integrate Sudoku information of two parts, and the other was no split meant participant could solve the problem directly without integration. Based on the theory of ACT-R (adaptive control of thought-rational) model, five key brain areas were analyzed. The result showed that regions of left Fusiform gyrus (LFG), bilateral Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), and Posterior Parietal Cortex (PPC) were involved in the process of mental imagery. And the further functional connectivity analysis showed that the correlations between PPC and PFC as well as PPC and LFG was significantly increased in the condition of split. The results suggested that except for the region PPC played a key role for the processing of mental imagery, the association of PPC with other regions, such as FG and PFC would improve the mental imagery during heuristic problem solving.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Bor, D.A., Owen, A.M.: A Common Prefrontal-Parietal Network for Mnemonic and Mathematical Recording Strategies within Working Memory. Cerebral Cortex 17(4), 778–786 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Iseki, K., Hanakawa, T., Shinozaki, J.: Neural Mechanisms Involved in Mental Imagery and Observation of Gait. NeuroImage 41(3), 1021–1031 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Pylyshyn, Z.W.: Reture of the Mental Image: are there Really Pictures in the Brain? Trends in Cognitive Science 17(3), 113–118 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Vehman, D.J., Rombouts, S.A., Dolan, R.J.: Maintenance versus Manipulation in Verbal Working Memory Revisited: An fMRI Study. NeuroImage 18(2), 247–256 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Shimamura, A.P.: The role of the prefrontal cortex in dynamic filtering. Psychobiology 28, 207–218 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Anderson, J.R., Carter, C.S., Fincham, J.M.: Using fMRI to Test Models of Complex Cognition. Cognitive Science 32(8), 1323–1348 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Anderson, J.R., Albert, M.V., Fincham, J.M.: Tracing Problem Solving in Real Time: fMRI Analysis of the Subject-Paced Tower of Hanoi. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 17(8), 1261–1274 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Anderson, J.R., Douglass, S.: Tower of Hanoi: Evidence for the Cost of Goal Retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 27(6), 1331–1346 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Qin, Y., Bothell, D., Anderson, J.R.: ACT-R meets fMRI. In: Zhong, N., Liu, J., Yao, Y., Wu, J., Lu, S., Li, K. (eds.) Web Intelligence Meets Brain Informatics. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 4845, pp. 205–222. Springer, Heidelberg (2007)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  10. Esposito, M.D., Aquirre, G.K., Zarahn, E.: Functional MRI Studies of Spatial and Nonspatial Working Memory. Cognitive Brain Research 7(1), 1–13 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Sack, A.T., Schuhmann, T.: Hemispheric differences within the fronto-parietal network dynamics underlying spatial imagery. Frontiers 3(214), 1–10 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Zacks, J.M., Ollinger, J.M., Sherdian, M.A., Tversky, B.: A parametric study of mental spatial transformations of bodies. NeuroImage 16, 857–872 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Slotnick, S.D., Thompson, W.L., Kosslyn, S.M.: Visual memory and visual mental imagery recruit common control and sensory regions of the brain. Cognitive Neuroscience 3(1), 14–20 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Burgess, N.: Spatial cognition and the brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 1124, 77–97 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Cavanna, A., Trimble, M.: The precuneus: a review of its functional anatomy and behavioural correlates. Brain 129(3), 564–583 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Roca, M.A., Thompson, P.R.: Executive Function and Fluid Intelligence after Frontal Lobe Lesions. Brain 133(1), 234–247 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International WIC Institute, Beijing University of Technology, China

    Xiangsheng Shen, Haiyan Zhou, Fenfen Wang, Zhoujun Long, Jun Zhou, Chuan Li, Yulin Qin & Ning Zhong

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of MRI and Brain Informatics, China

    Xiangsheng Shen, Haiyan Zhou, Fenfen Wang, Zhoujun Long, Jun Zhou, Chuan Li, Yulin Qin, Kuncheng Li & Ning Zhong

  3. Dept. of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

    Yulin Qin

  4. Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, China

    Kuncheng Li

  5. Dept. of Life Science and Informatics, Maebashi Institute of Technology, Japan

    Ning Zhong

Authors
  1. Xiangsheng Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Haiyan Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fenfen Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhoujun Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jun Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chuan Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Yulin Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Kuncheng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Ning Zhong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Life Engineering, Maebashi Institute of Technology, 460-1 Kamisadori-cho, 371-0816, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

    Kazayuki Imamura

  2. Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka Tenpaku-cho, 441-8580, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan

    Shiro Usui

  3. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 39-22 Showamachi 3-chome, 371-8511, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

    Tomoaki Shirao

  4. The Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore Street, 94115, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Takuji Kasamatsu

  5. University of Rostock, 18051, Rostock, Germany

    Lars Schwabe

  6. Department of Life Science and Informatics, Maebashi Institute of Technology, 460-1 Kamisadori-cho, 371-0816, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

    Ning Zhong

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Shen, X. et al. (2013). Neural Mechanism of Mental Imagery in Problem Solving. In: Imamura, K., Usui, S., Shirao, T., Kasamatsu, T., Schwabe, L., Zhong, N. (eds) Brain and Health Informatics. BHI 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 8211. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02753-1_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02753-1_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02752-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02753-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation