Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood
Executive functions can be classified into processes of inhibition, working memory and shifting, which together support flexible and goal-directed behaviour and are crucial for both current and later-life outcomes. A large body of literature has identified distinct brain regions critical to performi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001658 |
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| author | Yongjing Li Keertana Ganesan Claire R. Smid Abigail Thompson Roser Cañigueral Jessica Royer Boris Bernhardt Nikolaus Steinbeis |
| author_facet | Yongjing Li Keertana Ganesan Claire R. Smid Abigail Thompson Roser Cañigueral Jessica Royer Boris Bernhardt Nikolaus Steinbeis |
| author_sort | Yongjing Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Executive functions can be classified into processes of inhibition, working memory and shifting, which together support flexible and goal-directed behaviour and are crucial for both current and later-life outcomes. A large body of literature has identified distinct brain regions critical to performing each of these functions. These findings are however predicated on a piecemeal and single-task approach. It is therefore unclear to what extent these associations reflect task-specific features or actual constructs of executive functions. Here, in a sample of 141 children aged 6–13 years, we administered a battery of 9 executive function tasks, derived latent factors of inhibition, working memory, and shifting and examined their associations with markers of brain structure (whole-brain cortical thickness). We identified associations between working memory and cortical thickness of right superior frontal and left medial temporal lobe as well as associations between shifting and cortical thickness in bilateral frontal and occipital lobes and left medial and anterior temporal lobes. While working memory and shifting shared a cortical substrate in right superior frontal cortex as well as left middle and inferior temporal regions no significant brain clusters were associated with inhibition. We discuss these findings in relation to theories of executive functions and their development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1b4569ab481c43f194eafdb154b61818 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1878-9293 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-1b4569ab481c43f194eafdb154b618182025-01-22T05:41:21ZengElsevierDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience1878-92932025-01-0171101504Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhoodYongjing Li0Keertana Ganesan1Claire R. Smid2Abigail Thompson3Roser Cañigueral4Jessica Royer5Boris Bernhardt6Nikolaus Steinbeis7Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UK; Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UKDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UKDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UKDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UKDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Quebec, CanadaDivision of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London WC1H 0AP, UK; Correspondence to: Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UKExecutive functions can be classified into processes of inhibition, working memory and shifting, which together support flexible and goal-directed behaviour and are crucial for both current and later-life outcomes. A large body of literature has identified distinct brain regions critical to performing each of these functions. These findings are however predicated on a piecemeal and single-task approach. It is therefore unclear to what extent these associations reflect task-specific features or actual constructs of executive functions. Here, in a sample of 141 children aged 6–13 years, we administered a battery of 9 executive function tasks, derived latent factors of inhibition, working memory, and shifting and examined their associations with markers of brain structure (whole-brain cortical thickness). We identified associations between working memory and cortical thickness of right superior frontal and left medial temporal lobe as well as associations between shifting and cortical thickness in bilateral frontal and occipital lobes and left medial and anterior temporal lobes. While working memory and shifting shared a cortical substrate in right superior frontal cortex as well as left middle and inferior temporal regions no significant brain clusters were associated with inhibition. We discuss these findings in relation to theories of executive functions and their development.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001658Executive functionsCognitive controlLatent factorsChildhoodBrain Structure |
| spellingShingle | Yongjing Li Keertana Ganesan Claire R. Smid Abigail Thompson Roser Cañigueral Jessica Royer Boris Bernhardt Nikolaus Steinbeis Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Executive functions Cognitive control Latent factors Childhood Brain Structure |
| title | Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| title_full | Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| title_fullStr | Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| title_short | Structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| title_sort | structural brain basis of latent factors of executive functions in childhood |
| topic | Executive functions Cognitive control Latent factors Childhood Brain Structure |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001658 |
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