Inhibitory control development from infancy to early childhood: A longitudinal fNIRS study.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Infancy to early childhood involves significant cognitive advancements, including executive functions.
• Maturation of the prefrontal and parietal cortices parallels these cognitive gains.
• Inhibitory control is a core executive function critical for development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the emergence and development of inhibitory control from infancy to early childhood.
• To map the neural correlates of inhibitory control using longitudinal fNIRS data.
• To identify brain regions fundamental to inhibitory control across developmental stages.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data collected at 10 months, 16 months, and 3.5 years.
• Participants completed the Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task.
• Analysis of brain activation patterns in prefrontal and parietal cortices during inhibitory tasks.

Main Results:

• 10-month-olds recruited right lateralized prefrontal and parietal regions for inhibition.
• 16-month-olds showed broader, bilateral prefrontal and parietal activation without performance change.
• 3.5-year-olds activated right inferior parietal cortex and right inferior frontal gyrus, with improved performance.
• Common brain regions (16 months and 3.5 years) suggest fundamental neural indices of inhibitory control.

Conclusions:

• Inhibitory control development involves dynamic changes in brain activation patterns.
• Specific prefrontal and parietal regions are consistently recruited for inhibitory control from toddlerhood.
• These identified brain regions may represent fundamental neural underpinnings of inhibitory control development.