Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain

• Authors: Gregory S Berns, Emory University; Kristina Blaine, Emory University; Michael J Prietula, Emory University; Brandon E. Pye, Emory University
• Journal Title: Brain Connectivity
• Volume: Volume 3, Number 6
• Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. | 2013-12-01, Pages 590-600
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1089/brain.2013.0166
• Subjects: Biology, Neuroscience
• Keywords: connectivity; fMRI; reading; resting state

Abstract

We sought to determine whether reading a novel causes measurable changes in resting-state connectivity of the brain and how long these changes persist. Incorporating a within-subjects design, participants received resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans on 19 consecutive days. First, baseline resting state data for a “washin” period were taken for each participant for 5 days. For the next 9 days, participants read 1/9th of a novel during the evening and resting-state data were taken the next morning. Finally, resting-state data for a “wash-out” period were taken for 5 days after the conclusion of the novel. On the days after the reading, significant increases in connectivity were centered on hubs in the left angular/supramarginal gyri and right posterior temporal gyri. These hubs corresponded to regions previously associated with perspective taking and story comprehension, and the changes exhibited a timecourse that decayed rapidly after the completion of the novel. Long-term changes in connectivity, which persisted for several days after the reading, were observed in bilateral somatosensory cortex, suggesting a potential mechanism for “embodied semantics.”