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Updated: Aug 13, 2026
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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
Development of a superior frontal-intraparietal network for visuo-spatial working memory
1Paediatric Neurology, Karolinska Institute, Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital Q2:07, Stockholm, Sweden. torkel.klingberg@ki.se
Neuropsychologia
|January 13, 2006
Summary
Working memory capacity grows through childhood and adolescence. Brain imaging shows increased activity in frontal and parietal regions, linked to white matter maturation, supporting complex reasoning development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Working memory capacity significantly increases during childhood and adolescence.
- This development is crucial for higher cognitive functions like complex reasoning.
- The spatial-span task is a key measure for assessing spatial working memory development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neuroimaging studies on the neural correlates of working memory development.
- To explore the relationship between brain activity, white matter maturation, and working memory capacity.
- To identify the brain networks involved in visuo-spatial working memory development.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing neuroimaging studies, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- Analysis of brain activity patterns in children and adolescents during spatial-span tasks.
- Correlation analysis between white matter structural maturation and cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Higher working memory capacity in older children and adolescents correlates with increased brain activity in the intraparietal cortex and superior frontal sulcus.
- Diffusion tensor imaging reveals white matter maturation in frontal lobe regions associated with working memory development.
- White matter maturation positively correlates with cortical activation in frontal and parietal regions.
Conclusions:
- Development of visuo-spatial working memory networks involves both cortical areas and connecting white matter tracts.
- The superior frontal and intraparietal cortex, along with their connecting white matter, form a key network for visuo-spatial working memory.
- These findings highlight the integrated development of brain structure and function supporting cognitive growth.
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