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Exploring Cognitive Functions in Babies, Children & Adults with Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Published on: July 28, 2009
Inhibitory Control in Children 4-10 Years of Age: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Task-Based
Xin Zhou1, Elizabeth M Planalp1, Lauren Heinrich1
1Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
Insights
This study introduces a new Go/NoGo task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure inhibitory control (IC) in children. Results show fNIRS effectively measures prefrontal cortex activity related to executive function in young individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Executive function (EF) skills develop throughout childhood and adolescence, supported by the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
- Neuroimaging studies of early EF development are limited by the challenges of using techniques like fMRI in young children.
- Inhibitory control (IC) is a key component of EF crucial for cognitive development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a multimodal Go/NoGo task for assessing inhibitory control (IC) in children aged 4-10.
- To utilize functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a child-friendly neuroimaging method, to measure prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity during the task.
- To compare behavioral and neuroimaging results with standardized cognitive assessments.
Main Methods:
- A multimodal Go/NoGo task was designed and administered to children aged 4-10.
- Cortical activity was measured non-invasively using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
- Behavioral data (response accuracy, reaction time) were collected during fNIRS and compared to NIH Toolbox cognition battery scores.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations were found between fNIRS behavioral measures and standardized executive function assessments.
- fNIRS data revealed a significant, age-independent effect of inhibitory control in the right prefrontal cortex (rPFC).
- An age-dependent effect of inhibitory control was observed in the left orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC).
Conclusions:
- The developed Go/NoGo task is suitable for examining inhibitory control in young children using fNIRS.
- fNIRS is a viable neuroimaging technique for assessing prefrontal cortex function related to executive function in pediatric populations.
- The findings support the use of fNIRS in developmental neuroscience research for understanding early cognitive development.
Abstract:
Executive function (EF) is essential to child development, with associated skills beginning to emerge in the first few years of life and continuing to develop into adolescence and adulthood. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which follows a neurodevelopmental timeline similar to EF, plays an important role in the development of EF. However, limited research has examined prefrontal function in young children due to limitations of currently available neuroimaging techniques such as functional resonance magnetic imaging (fMRI). The current study developed and applied a multimodal Go/NoGo task to examine the EF component of inhibitory control in children 4-10 years of age. Cortical activity was measured using a non-invasive and child-friendly neuroimaging technique - functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Children's response accuracy and reaction times were captured during the fNIRS session and compared with responses obtained using the standardized assessments from NIH Toolbox cognition battery. Results showed significant correlations between the behavioral measures during the fNIRS session and the standardized EF assessments, in line with our expectations. Results from fNIRS measures demonstrated a significant, age-independent effect of inhibitory control (IC) in the right PFC (rPFC), and an age-dependent effect in the left orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), consistent with results in previous studies using fNIRS and fMRI. Thus, the new task designed for fNIRS was suitable for examining IC in young children, and results showed that fNIRS measures can reveal prefrontal IC function.
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