Table_1_Software Bug Detection Causes a Shift From Bottom-Up to Top-Down Effective Connectivity Involving the Insula Within the Error-Monitoring Network.XLSX

The neural correlates of software programming skills have been the target of an increasing number of studies in the past few years. Those studies focused on error-monitoring during software code inspection. Others have studied task-related cognitive load as measured by distinct neurophysiological measures. Most studies addressed only syntax errors (shallow level of code monitoring). However, a recent functional MRI (fMRI) study suggested a pivotal role of the insula during error-monitoring when challenging deep-level analysis of code inspection was required. This raised the hypothesis that the insula is causally involved in deep error-monitoring. To confirm this hypothesis, we carried out a new fMRI study where participants performed a deep source-code comprehension task that included error-monitoring to detect bugs in the code. The generality of our paradigm was enhanced by comparison with a variety of tasks related to text reading and bugless source-code understanding. Healthy adult programmers (N = 21) participated in this 3T fMRI experiment. The activation maps evoked by error-related events confirmed significant activations in the insula [p(Bonferroni) < 0.05]. Importantly, a posterior-to-anterior causality shift was observed concerning the role of the insula: in the absence of error, causal directions were mainly bottom-up, whereas, in their presence, the strong causal top-down effects from frontal regions, in particular, the anterior cingulate cortex was observed.

过去数年来，软件编程技能的神经关联（neural correlates）已成为日益增多的研究关注对象。此类研究聚焦于软件代码审查过程中的错误监测；另有部分研究通过多种神经生理学测量手段，探究与任务相关的认知负荷。绝大多数现有研究仅关注语法错误（属于代码监测的浅层任务范畴）。然而，近期一项功能磁共振成像（functional MRI, fMRI）研究表明，当需要开展代码审查的深层分析任务时，脑岛（insula）在错误监测过程中发挥着关键作用。这一发现提出了一项假说：脑岛在深层错误监测中存在因果性参与。为验证该假说，我们开展了一项全新的fMRI研究：受试者需完成一项深层源代码理解任务，该任务包含错误监测环节，用于识别代码中的漏洞。通过与文本阅读、无漏洞源代码理解等多种任务进行对比，我们的实验范式（paradigm）的普适性得到了进一步提升。本次3T功能磁共振成像实验共招募21名健康成年程序员参与。错误相关事件所引发的激活图谱证实，脑岛存在显著激活[经邦费罗尼校正的p(Bonferroni) < 0.05]。值得注意的是，脑岛的功能作用存在从后向前的因果方向转变：在无错误场景下，因果流向主要为自下而上；而当存在错误时，则可观察到来自额叶区域（尤其是前扣带回皮层（anterior cingulate cortex））的显著自上而下因果效应。