Dynamics of the Prefrontal Cortex during Chess-Based Problem-Solving Tasks in Competition-Experienced Chess Players: An fNIR Study

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the dynamics of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), between adult and adolescent chess players, during chess-based problem-solving tasks of increasing level of difficulty, relying on the identification of changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and hemoglobin (HHb) through the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) method. Thirty male federated chess players (mean age: 24.15 ± 12.84 years), divided into adults and adolescents, participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants were asked to solve three chess problems with different difficulties (low, medium, and high) while changes in HbO2 and HHb were measured over the PFC in real-time with an fNIRS system. Results indicated that the left prefrontal cortex (L-PFC) increased its activation with the difficulty of the task in both adolescents and adults. Interestingly, differences in the PFC dynamics but not in the overall performance were found between adults and adolescents. Our findings contributed to a better understanding of the PFC resources mobilized during complex tasks in both adults and adolescents.

Keywords: chess; functional near-infrared spectroscopy; prefrontal cortex.

Figure 1

Representation of the three chess-based problem-solving tasks by level of complexity: (a) panel—low level problem (L); (b) panel—medium level problem (M); (c) panel—high level problem (H).

Figure 2

Example of the relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin in one participant during the three experimental tasks. Bin 0 marks the baseline and Bin 11 the end of each task. The relative changes were computed as the mean change in the overall optodes. (a) panel—low level problem (L); (b) panel—medium level problem (M); (c) panel—high level problem (H).

Figure 3

Relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) in the adolescents group ((a) panel) and in the adults group ((b) panel), according to the level of difficulty of the chess-based problem-solving tasks. L-PFC—left prefrontal cortex; R-PFC—right prefrontal cortex; LM-PFC—left medial prefrontal cortex; RM-PFC—right medial prefrontal cortex.