Two successive neurocognitive processes captured by near-infrared spectroscopy: prefrontal activation during a computerized plus-shaped maze task.

The present study using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) examined prefrontal activation associated with maze-solving performance in adult humans. The participants were required to solve a plus-shaped maze, comparable to the one used for pigeons and human children to behaviorally assess planning processes, by moving a target square to a goal square presented on a touch-sensitive screen. The participants made incorrect responses toward a previous goal immediately after the goal jumped to the end of another arm, in parallel with but less frequently than previous participants, with shorter reaction times than when they correctly adjusted their responses.