A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of the Cognitive Estimation

The Cognitive Estimation Test (CET) represents a novel diagnostic tool for quantifying the ability to provide accurate cognitive estimates. Cognitive estimates are supposed to result from frontal cortex activity. The general aim of our study was to evaluate the brain regions responsible for cognitive estimation. In a group of ten healthy volunteers we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to detect the brain systems involved in cognitive estimation. Four blocks of experimental estimation condition alternated with the control condition with each block consisting of 8 visually-presented questions. We have confirmed that the CET increases the fMRI signal in the left inferior frontal gyrus (Brodmann’s Area, BA 47) and the left middle frontal gyrus (BA 9). Further we detected activation in the bilateral lingual gyrus (BA 18), right superior parietal lobule (BA 7) and cerebellum. These data indicate that CET is conn ected not only with frontal but also with parieto-occipital system activation.