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Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
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Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

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Neurocognitive development and externalizing problems: the role of inhibitory control deficits from 4 to 6 years

William T Utendale1, Michele Hubert, Arnaud B Saint-Pierre

  • 1Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Aggressive Behavior
|July 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with poor inhibitory control (IC) show more externalizing problems (EP) in preschool and elementary school. This link between executive dysfunction and behavior issues is consistent across genders, though response patterns differ.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Executive functions are theorized to regulate externalizing problems (EP).
  • Little research exists on executive dysfunction and EP in early childhood.
  • Prefrontal-striatal circuitry maturation in preschoolers correlates with increased inhibitory control (IC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the developmental relationship between inhibitory control (IC) and externalizing problems (EP) in preschool and early elementary children.
  • To investigate how IC performance relates to EP across different age groups and sexes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Day/Night and Tapping tasks to assess inhibitory control (IC).
  • Examined a cohort of preschool and early elementary school children.
  • Analyzed accuracy and response latency on IC tasks in relation to EP levels.

Main Results:

  • Children with higher EP made more errors on both IC tasks, irrespective of age or sex.
  • Response latencies showed sex-specific associations: boys with high EP had longer Tapping task latencies, unlike girls.
  • Aggressive and inattentive behaviors, key aspects of early EP, had weak unique associations with IC performance.

Conclusions:

  • Diminished inhibitory control (IC) is associated with elevated externalizing problems (EP) from the preschool years into elementary school for both boys and girls.
  • Accuracy and response latency on IC tasks provide distinct insights into the developmental trajectory of IC.
  • Findings highlight the early emergence and persistence of the link between executive function deficits and behavioral challenges.

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