Individual variability in performance reflects selectivity of the multiple demand network among children and adults

Author:

Schettini ElanaORCID,Hiersche Kelly J.,Saygin Zeynep M.

Abstract

AbstractExecutive function (EF) is essential for human cognition, allowing individuals to effectively engage in cognitively demanding tasks. In adults, EF is subserved by a set of frontoparietal brain regions (termed the multiple demand (MD) network) which show robust responses to a wide variety of cognitively demanding tasks (i.e., domain-general) and reflect cognitive effort exerted on the task. But while essential, children initially show poor EF skills with prolonged development of these skills. Do children recruit the same network as adults? Is it functionally and connectionally distinct from adjacent language cortex as it is in adults? And is this activation or connectivity dependent on age or on the individual’s EF task performance? We scanned 44 adults and 37 children ages 4-12 years for two separate tasks (MD spatial working memory task and passive language task) and a resting-state fMRI scan. Because motion is a concern in child samples, we asked a subset of adult subjects to participate in additional “wiggly” scans of the MD task and to move slightly during those scans. We defined subject-specific functional regions of interest (ss-fROIs) and found bilateral activation of the MD network in children. In both children and adults, these ss-fROIs are not recruited for linguistic processing and are also connectionally distinct from language ss-fROIs. MD activation in children was lower than that observed in adults, but it was unrelated to motion as evidenced by motion-matched comparisons between children and adult groups and by repeated measures comparisons within the adult group. Right-lateralized ss-fROIs showed increasing load-based MD responses that were robustly associated with performance, demonstrated both cross-sectionally and in a subset of children scanned longitudinally about one year apart. These data suggest that even in young children the MD network is selective to cognitive demand, is distinct from adjacent cortex, and increases in its selectivity as a child improves their EF skills, independently of age. Overall, these findings show that neural structures subserving domain-general EF emerge early and are sensitive to ability in both children and adults. This research advances our understanding of how high-level human cognition emerges and can inform interventions targeting cognitive control.Significance statementThis study provides evidence that young children already show differentiated brain network organization between regions that process cognitive demand and language. These data support the hypothesis that children recruit a similar network as adults to process cognitive demand, and despite immature characteristics, children’s selectivity looks more adult-like as their executive function ability increases. Mapping early stages of network organization furthers our understanding of the functional architecture underlying domain-general executive function. Determining typical variability underlying cognitive processing across developmental periods helps establish a threshold for executive dysfunction. Early markers of risk are necessary for effective early identification, prevention, and intervention efforts for individuals struggling with deficits in processing cognitive demand.

Publisher

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Reference39 articles.

1. Assessing executive function in preschoolers;Neuropsychology review,2012

2. Activity in the fronto-parietal multiple-demand network is robustly associated with individual differences in working memory and fluid intelligence

3. A developmental perspective on executive function;Child Development,2010

4. A functional dissociation between language and multiple-demand systems revealed in patterns of BOLD signal fluctuations;Journal of Neurophysiology,2014

5. The differentiation of executive functions in middle and late childhood: A longitudinal latent-variable analysis;Intelligence,2014

Cited by 1 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3