White matter matters! Brain network communication and synchronization - An oldie-but-goodie (OBG) post

White matter, in contrast to the grey squiggly mass (the cerebrum) that most people associate with the human brain, was for many years the research step-child to the cerebrum. That is no more. White matter, which has been called the brain's subway, super information system, or interstate highway communication system, now has a glass slipper. Research during the past decade has implicated white matter as performing the critical task of connecting and synchronizing different brain regions or networks so they can perform a wide variety of complex human cognitive or motor behaviors. The white matter system is considered the communication backbone system for the flow of information in the brain. Of particular interest (to me) is the parietal-frontal network, which is implicated as central to abstract human intelligence, fluid intelligence (Gf), working memory and attentional control (see prior posts re: the P-FIT model).

In a MindHub white paper I hypothesized that increasing white matter tract integrity may be a key mechanism behind the efficacy of the Interactive Metronome neuro-timing intervention (see figure below). I have gone as far as suggesting that the efficacy of many brain training/fitness programs may stem from a common domain-general effect--improving communication between and within various brain network(s) via more efficient white matter tract speed and communication. [Click on image to enlarge]

White matter integrity or dysfunction as been implicated in a wide variety of cognitive disorders or abilities, including cognitive control, math and intellectual giftedness, fluid intelligence or reasoning, processing speed, reading, decrease in cognitive functioning, meditation, working memory, vascular cognitive impairment, ADHD, autism, and cognitve and language maturation in infants. A sampling of recent white matter research article abstracts I have accumulated can be found by clicking here.
White matter matters!

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Interactive metronome (IM) efficacy: Randomized treatment-control group design studies

It has been slightly over nine years since I started the Brain Clock blog (see original post here).  My primary interest in exploring human brain timing stemmed from my role in an intervention study with Interactive Metronome neurotechnology.  This initial interest expanded well beyond the IM technology to a mission to understand human temporal processing, temporal g, brain-clock mechanisms, brain network synchronization, etc.

Today I want to refocus on the IM intervention.  Whenever I tell colleagues or other professionals of my interest (and relations with IM...see conflict of interest statement) in the synchronized metronome tapping technology, I am frequently met with skeptical "you have got to be kidding me" looks or questions.  I understand, as I too was initially a serious skeptic.

Since then I have posted all available IM research literature (and significant amounts of related brain clock literature) at this blog.  The most important IM-specific and general brain clock articles, studies, and other media are listed in the blogrolls on the right side bar of this blog page.  Today I want to focus only on those studies that are considered "gold standard" studies (as per appropriate experimental design methods) that demonstrate treatment or intervention effectiveness.

The gold standard experimental design for demonstrating the effectiveness of an intervention or treatment is to randomly assign subjects to two (or more) groups...one group a control group that receives no treatment and the other(s) that receive the treatment(s).  Efficacy for a treatment is found when the treatment group outperforms the control group on the final or post-test outcome variables.  This is a VERY simplified explanation of what is typically called a randomized control design (RCD) (see RCD info here and here).  RCD studies are those that should carry the most weight in evaluating a treatment's effectiveness claims.

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading

There are now 7 different IM RCD studies that demonstrate positive IM treatment effects for ADHD, blast-related TBI neuropsychological functioning, academics (reading and math), and golf.  The studies are designated with an RCD code in the Interactive Metronome Research blog side bar.  The abstracts for each study are produced below (click on images to enlarge to read).

Based on these RCD studies (as well as other IM research studies), I produced a white paper that presented explanatory hypotheses for the "why" of the IM-effect--why does it produce positive outcomes across multiple human ability domains, especially cognitively controlled domains (reading, math, neuropschological functioning, attentional control, etc.)?  This MindHub Pub # 2 (The Science Behind Interactive Metronome) can be found here.

I encourage those who are interested in learning more to read the MindHub Pub manuscript and the RCD IM-specific studies (can be downloaded from the relevant Brain Clock IM Research side bar).  Additional information (PPT slide shows; videos; publications) and be found at two places at the MindHub web portal (here and here).  Enjoy

Click on images to enlarge to read