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Brief Relaxation Practice Induces Significantly More Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Arithmetic Tasks Comparing to Viewing Greenery Images as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

Author

Listed:
  • Zhisong Zhang

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China
    Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore)

  • Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

    (Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore)

  • Syeda Fabeha Husain

    (Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
    Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore)

  • Jessica Bose

    (Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore)

  • Jongkwan Choi

    (OBELAB, Inc., Seoul 06212, Korea)

  • Wanqiu Tan

    (National University of Singapore (Chongqing) Research Institute, Chongqing 401123, China)

  • Jiayun Wang

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China)

  • Bach Xuan Tran

    (Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
    Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, MD 21205, USA)

  • Bokun Wang

    (Science and Technology Promotion Bureau, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administration Committee, Chongqing 201205, China)

  • Yajie Jin

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China)

  • Wei Xuan

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China)

  • Pinjia Yan

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China)

  • Maomao Li

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China)

  • Cyrus S. H. Ho

    (Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Singapore)

  • Roger Ho

    (Faculty of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 117599, China
    Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
    Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore)

Abstract

Background: There is little understanding on how brief relaxation practice and viewing greenery images would affect brain responses during cognitive tasks. In the present study, we examined the variation in brain activation of the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images, brief relaxation practice, and control task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Method: This randomized controlled study examined the activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in three groups of research participants who were exposed to viewing greenery images ( n = 10), brief relaxation practice ( n = 10), and control task ( n = 11). The activation pattern of the PFC was measured pre- and post-intervention using a portable fNIRS device and reported as mean total oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO μm). Primary outcome of the study is the difference in HbO μm between post- and pre-intervention readings during a cognitive task that required the research participants to perform arithmetic calculation. Results: In terms of intervention-related differences, there was significant difference in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after brief relaxation practice ( p < 0.05). There were significant increases in average HbO μm in the right frontopolar cortex ( p = 0.029), the left frontopolar cortex ( p = 0.01), and the left orbitofrontal cortex ( p = 0.033) during arithmetic tasks after brief relaxation practice. In contrast, there were no significant differences in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images ( p > 0.05) and the control task ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our preliminary findings show that brief relaxation practice but not viewing greenery images led to significant frontal lobe activation during arithmetic tasks. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that there was an increase in activation in neuroanatomical areas including the combined effort of allocation of attentional resources, exploration, and memory performance after the brief relaxation practice. Our findings suggest the possibility that the right frontopolar cortex, the left frontopolar cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex may be specifically associated with the benefits of brief relaxation on the brain.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhisong Zhang & Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo & Syeda Fabeha Husain & Jessica Bose & Jongkwan Choi & Wanqiu Tan & Jiayun Wang & Bach Xuan Tran & Bokun Wang & Yajie Jin & Wei Xuan & Pinjia Yan & Maomao Li, 2020. "Brief Relaxation Practice Induces Significantly More Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Arithmetic Tasks Comparing to Viewing Greenery Images as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNI," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-10, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:22:p:8366-:d:443694
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Magdalena M.H.E. Van den Berg & Jolanda Maas & Rianne Muller & Anoek Braun & Wendy Kaandorp & René Van Lien & Mireille N.M. Van Poppel & Willem Van Mechelen & Agnes E. Van den Berg, 2015. "Autonomic Nervous System Responses to Viewing Green and Built Settings: Differentiating Between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Activity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo & Angelia Sia & Anna Fogel & Roger Ho, 2020. "Can Exposure to Certain Urban Green Spaces Trigger Frontal Alpha Asymmetry in the Brain?—Preliminary Findings from a Passive Task EEG Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-10, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Silu Chen & Wanxing Jiang & Xin Li & Han Gao, 2021. "Effect of Employees’ Perceived Green HRM on Their Workplace Green Behaviors in Oil and Mining Industries: Based on Cognitive-Affective System Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Kinga Rucka & Monika Talarowska, 2022. "The Impact of One-Time Relaxation Training on Attention Efficiency Measured by Continuous Performance Test in Depressive Disorders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-10, May.

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