Table 5.
Clusters of brain regions that were significantly deactivated during 2-back vs. 1-back, and 3-back vs. 1-back contrasts with increasing task difficulty in a within group analysis (one-sample t-tests, p < 0.001, uncorrected).
| Image contrast | Brain region | Side | Peak MNI coordinates (x y z) | Cluster extent | T-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-back vs. 1-back (deactivation clusters) | Rolandic operculum (ROL) | R | 40 − 12 18 | 805 | 14.86 |
| Superior temporal gyrus (STG) | R | 62 − 14 8 | 8.54 | ||
| Insula (INS) | R | 40 − 4 − 6 | 8.40 | ||
| Middle cingulate and paracingulate (MCC) | L | 0 − 42 36 | 633 | 9.36 | |
| Middle cingulate and paracingulate (MCC) | R | 2 − 34 50 | 7.66 | ||
| Insula (INS) | L | − 36 − 18 0 | 503 | 9.34 | |
| Rolandic operculum (ROL) | L | − 44 − 6 12 | 7.22 | ||
| Angular gyrus (ANG) | L | − 48 − 72 34 | 169 | 8.81 | |
| Inferior parietal gyrus (IPG) | L | − 58 − 56 36 | 6.03 | ||
| Middle temporal gyrus (MTG) | L | − 52 − 4 − 22 | 189 | 7.76 | |
| Temporal pole: middle temporal gyrus(TPOmid) | L | − 52 14 − 28 | 7.44 | ||
| Precuneus (PCUN) | L | − 8 − 54 14 | 159 | 7.37 | |
| 3-back vs. 1-back (deactivation clusters) | Middle cingulate and paracingulate (MCC) | L | − 2 − 42 36 | 643 | 12.55 |
| Precuneus (PCUN) | R | 6 − 46 18 | 9.96 | ||
| Superior temporal gyrus (STG) | R | 62 − 14 10 | 897 | 11.98 | |
| Rolandic operculum (ROL) | R | 52 − 2 6 | 10.72 | ||
| Rolandic operculum (ROL) | L | − 40 − 14 18 | 614 | 10.81 | |
| Superior temporal gyrus (STG) | L | − 50 − 10 − 4 | 9.69 | ||
| Insula (INS) | L | − 34 − 20 10 | 8.76 | ||
| Middle cingulate and paracingulate (MCC) | R | 4 − 14 44 | 336 | 10.39 | |
| Middle cingulate and paracingulate (MCC) | L | − 4 − 4 44 | 8.11 | ||
| Middle temporal gyrus (MTG) | R | 48 − 68 2 | 270 | 9.09 | |
| Inferior occipital gyrus (IOG) | R | 46 − 78 − 8 | 8.77 | ||
| Middle occipital gyrus (MOG) | R | 42 − 80 0 | 8.30 | ||
| Paracentral lobule (PCL) | L | − 16 − 30 72 | 215 | 8.67 | |
| Postcentral gyrus (PoCG) | L | − 46 − 16 56 | 7.55 | ||
| Pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) | L | 0 46 − 2 | 205 | 7.94 | |
| Superior frontal gyrus, medial (SFGmedial) | R | 4 50 4 | 5.46 | ||
| Temporal pole: middle temporal gyrus (TPOmid) | L | − 52 10 − 30 | 205 | 6.89 | |
| Middle temporal gyrus (MTG) | L | − 60 − 14 − 20 | 6.64 |
MNI Montreal Neurological Institute, L left, R right.
Significant brain deactivations were reported at the cluster level.