Neural substrates of early executive function development

Abstract

In the last decade, advances in neuroimaging technologies have given rise to a large number of research studies that investigate the neural underpinnings of executive function (EF). EF has long been associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and involves both a unified, general element, as well as the distinct, separable elements of working memory, inhibitory control and set shifting. We will highlight the value of utilising advances in neuroimaging techniques to uncover answers to some of the most pressing questions in the field of early EF development. First, this review will explore the development and neural substrates of each element of EF. Second, the structural, anatomical and biochemical changes that occur in the PFC during infancy and throughout childhood will be examined, in order to address the importance of these changes for the development of EF. Third, the importance of connectivity between regions of the PFC and other brain areas in EF development is reviewed. Finally, throughout this review more recent developments in neuroimaging techniques will be addressed, alongside the implications for further elucidating the neural substrates of early EF development in the future.

Keywords: Brain connectivity; Childhood; Development; Executive function; Infancy; Neuroimaging; Prefrontal cortex.

Fig. 3

Figure taken from Tamnes et al. (2013), as published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 25 (10), and reprinted with permission from the publisher (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press Journals). The figure demonstrates that three clusters of cortical volume reduction were associated with improvement in WM performance in a longitudinal sample of children and adolescents aged 8–22 years. Longitudinal change in cortical and subcortical volumes was quantified by the use of Quantitative Anatomical Regional Change.

Fig. 4

Figure taken from Durston et al. (2006), as published in Developmental Science, 9 (1), and reprinted with permission from the publisher (John Wiley and Sons). A longitudinal whole-brain, voxel-based comparison image demonstrating increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (in red/orange) between time 1 (9 years) to time 2 (11 years). Reduced or unchanged activation (in blue) was found in other regions of the prefrontal cortex.