Changes in Functional Brain Activity in School-Age Children 10 Years Later: A Resting State Functional Magnetic...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Children's cognitive functions change dynamically with age.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for educational and clinical applications.
• Longitudinal studies are essential to track developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in children's cognitive function over a 10-year period.
• To identify specific brain regions exhibiting significant functional alterations.
• To correlate neuroimaging findings with cognitive development in school-aged children.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from 30 children (aged 7-12) in 2008 and 30 matched children in 2017.
• Analysis of Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and Degree Centrality (DC) values.
• Paired t-test used to analyze differences in brain function between the two time points.

Main Results:

• Increased ALFF in the posterior cerebellar lobes and left middle occipital gyrus.
• Decreased ALFF in the hippocampus and frontal and medial frontal gyri.
• Increased DC in the left superior occipital gyrus and decreased DC in the left inferior parietal lobe.

Conclusions:

• Significant developmental changes occur in brain regions associated with attention, memory, and cognition.
• Some brain areas show enhanced function, while others become more efficient over time.
• Findings provide a foundation for predicting cognitive development in school-aged children.