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Developmental changes in frontal lobe function during a verbal fluency task: a multi-channel near-infrared
Tomoko Tando1, Yoshimi Kaga1, Sayaka Ishii1
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Japan.
Brain & Development
|February 12, 2014
Summary
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) revealed that verbal fluency task (VFT) performance and frontal lobe oxygenation hemoglobin (oxyHb) significantly increase with age, indicating developing verbal retrieval functions from adolescence to adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers high temporal resolution for studying brain activation.
- Verbal fluency task (VFT) is a standard neuropsychological tool for assessing frontal lobe function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine developmental changes in frontal lobe function during VFT using multi-channel NIRS.
- To specifically analyze changes in oxygenation hemoglobin (oxyHb) levels.
Main Methods:
- 37 children and 9 adults, all healthy and right-handed, participated.
- Children were grouped by age (6-18 years).
- 22-channel NIRS measured oxyHb changes in the frontopolar region during VFT, with Z-scores used for comparison.
Main Results:
- VFT performance improved with age, with significant differences noted between the youngest group (A) and others.
- Z-scores of oxyHb increased significantly with age, particularly when comparing adults to younger children.
- While task performance declined over time in all groups, oxyHb continued to rise in adults.
Conclusions:
- Verbal retrieval functions mature during early adolescence and continue developing into adulthood.
- Frontal lobe maturation, as indicated by oxyHb changes, is associated with VFT performance improvements.
