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Inhibitory control in children with agenesis of the corpus callosum compared with typically developing children
Emilyn Soon1, Vanessa Siffredi2,3,4,5, Peter J Anderson1
1Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Insights
Children with agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) show impaired inhibitory control. The anterior and posterior commissures may compensate for the absent corpus callosum, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation linked to neuropsychological deficits.
- Inhibitory control, crucial for executive function, is not well understood in children with AgCC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare inhibitory control in children with AgCC versus typically developing (TD) children.
- To investigate how AgCC anatomical variations (complete vs. partial, isolated vs. complex) affect inhibitory control.
- To explore the relationship between white matter integrity of the anterior commissure (AC), posterior commissure (PC), and remnant corpus callosum (CC) with inhibitory control.
Main Methods:
- 27 children with AgCC and 32 TD children (ages 8-16) underwent inhibitory control assessments.
- Brain MRI was used to characterize AgCC anatomy and measure white matter microstructure and volume.
- Specific analyses focused on interference control and response inhibition.
Main Results:
- Children with AgCC demonstrated poorer inhibitory control performance compared to TD children.
- Complex AgCC was associated with worse response inhibition than isolated AgCC.
- Preliminary findings indicated a trend towards better inhibitory control with increased AC and PC white matter integrity, and decreased remnant CC integrity.
Conclusions:
- Children with AgCC exhibit significant challenges in inhibitory control.
- The anterior and posterior commissures may play a compensatory role in maintaining inhibitory control functions in the absence of the corpus callosum.
- These findings suggest potential neuroanatomical targets for interventions aimed at improving executive functions in AgCC.
Objectives:
The developmental absence (agenesis) of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation associated with risk for a range of neuropsychological difficulties. Inhibitory control outcomes, including interference control and response inhibition, in children with AgCC are unclear. This study examined interference control and response inhibition: 1) in children with AgCC compared with typically developing (TD) children, 2) in children with different anatomical features of AgCC (complete vs. partial, isolated vs. complex), and 3) associations with white matter volume and microstructure of the anterior (AC) and posterior commissures (PC) and any remnant corpus callosum (CC).
Methods:
Participants were 27 children with AgCC and 32 TD children 8-16 years who completed inhibitory control assessments and brain MRI to define AgCC anatomical features and measure white matter volume and microstructure.
Results:
The AgCC cohort had poorer performance and higher rates of below average performance on inhibitory control measures than TD children. Children with complex AgCC had poorer response inhibition performance than children with isolated AgCC. While not statistically significant, there were select medium to large effect sizes for better inhibitory control associated with greater volume and microstructure of the AC and PC, and with reduced volume and microstructure of the remnant CC in partial AgCC.
Conclusions:
This study provides evidence of inhibitory control difficulties in children with AgCC. While the sample was small, the study found preliminary evidence that the AC (f2=.18) and PC (f2=.30) may play a compensatory role for inhibitory control outcomes in the absence of the CC.
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