Prefrontal activation due to Stroop interference increases during development--an event-related fNIRS study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Executive functions, governed by the frontal lobe, mature throughout childhood and adolescence.
• Limited functional imaging research exists on the developmental trajectory of frontal lobe function using the Stroop task.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex of children during a Stroop task.
• To compare developmental differences in cognitive control and frontal lobe function between children and adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized functional near-infrared imaging (fNIRS) to measure brain activity.
• Employed an event-related, color-word matching Stroop task.
• Compared fNIRS data from children with previously published adult data using the same paradigm.

Main Results:

• Children exhibited significant left lateral prefrontal cortex activation during the Stroop task, similar to adults.
• Children displayed a delayed hemodynamic response compared to adults.
• Greater individual variability in brain activation and behavioral performance was observed in children versus adults.
• Brain activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex correlated with age and improved behavioral performance.

Conclusions:

• Neuromaturational processes for resolving Stroop interference may rely on enhanced recruitment of frontal neural resources.
• Cognitive development and executive function maturation show significant individual variability in children, independent of chronological age.