Interconnected Large-Scale Systems for Three Fundamental Cognitive Tasks Revealed by Functional MRI

The specific brain areas required to execute each of three fundamental cognitive tasks-objects naming, same-different discrimination, and integer computation-are determined by whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using a novel techinque sptimized for the isolation of neurocognitive systems. This technique (1) conjoins the activity associated with identical or nearly identical tasks performed in multiple sensory modalities (conjunction) and (2) isolates the activity conserved across multiple subjects (conservation). Cortical regions isolated by this technique are, thus, presumedassociated with cognitive functions that are both distinguished from primary sensory processes and from individual differences. The object-naming system consisted of four brain areas: left inferior frontal gyrus, Brodmann's areas (BAs) 45 and 44; left superior temporal gyrus, BA 22; and left medical frontal gyrus, BA 6. The same-different discrimination system consisted for three brain areas: right inferior parietal labule, BA 40; right precentral gyrus, BA 6; and left medial frontal gyrus, BA 6. The integer computation system consisted of five brain area: right middle frontal gyrus, BA 6; right preecentral gyrus, BA 6; left inferior parietal lobule, BA 40; left inferior frontal gyrus, BA 44; and left medial frontal gyrus, BA 6. All three neurocognitive systems shared one common cortical region, the left medial frontal gyrus, the object-naming and integer computation systems shared the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the integer computation and same-different dicrimination systems shared the right precetral gyrus. These results are consistent with connectionist models of cognitive processes where specific sets of remote brain areas are assumed to be transiently bound together as functional units to enable these functions, and further suggest a superorganization of neurocognitive systems where single brain areas serve as elemets of multiple functional systems.