Variation in moment-to-moment brain state engagement changes across development and contributes to individual
Jean Ye1, Link Tejavibulya1, Wei Dai2
1Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|September 24, 2024
Summary
Neural variability in brain signals (SEV) changes during development, stabilizing in adolescence. This developmental shift in brain state engagement predicts executive function in youth.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Neural variability supports flexible brain responses to changing demands.
- Brain development from childhood to young adulthood involves significant changes in experience and neural function.
- Understanding how the variability of brain state engagement evolves during development is crucial but remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectories of state engagement variability (SEV) across childhood and adolescence.
- To determine if SEV changes predict cognitive abilities, specifically executive function (EF), in young individuals.
- To identify potential sex differences in the developmental patterns of SEV.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel computational framework for the concurrent assessment of multiple brain states.
- Analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal neuroimaging datasets from over 3000 participants.
- Examined the relationship between developmental SEV patterns and executive function performance in an independent youth cohort.
Main Results:
- Identified a consistent pattern of age-related changes in SEV across diverse datasets.
- Found that SEV developmental trajectories tend to stabilize around mid-adolescence, with variations based on sex and specific brain states.
- Demonstrated that SEV significantly predicts executive function, with altered SEV development linked to poorer EF outcomes.
Conclusions:
- State engagement variability (SEV) undergoes significant changes throughout development, culminating in stabilization during adolescence.
- Developmental changes in SEV are associated with executive function capabilities in youth.
- SEV represents a key neural mechanism underlying cognitive flexibility and adaptation during development.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Information Processing Approach
31
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
31
01:30Biological Influences on Intelligence
80
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
80
01:19High-Level and Low-Level Awareness
252
Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...
252
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
229
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
229
01:27Language and Cognition
336
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
336
01:01Neuroplasticity
310
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
310