How Mah-Jong Experts Use Their Brain to Feel Shapes
Author Information
Author(s): Saito Daisuke, Okada Tomohisa, Honda Manabu, Yonekura Yoshiharu, Sadato Norihiro
Primary Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
Hypothesis
Well-trained subjects on tactile discrimination of Mah-Jong patterns would show more prominent activation in the visual cortex than naïve subjects.
Conclusion
Long-term training modifies the tactile-to-visual cross-modal responses in the primary visual cortex of sighted subjects.
Supporting Evidence
- Mah-Jong experts showed significant activation in the primary visual cortex during tactile discrimination tasks.
- The expert group performed better in tactile shape discrimination than the control group.
- Both groups activated the left lateral occipital cortex during the tasks.
Takeaway
People who practice feeling shapes in Mah-Jong tiles can use their brain's visual area even when they can't see. This shows that practice can change how our brain works.
Methodology
fMRI study comparing Mah-Jong experts and naïve participants during tactile shape discrimination tasks.
Limitations
The study did not test the control group on the Braille task, limiting direct comparisons.
Participant Demographics
Eight Mah-Jong experts (mean age 30.8 years) and twelve healthy volunteers (mean age 29.8 years), balanced for gender.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P = 0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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