RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Functional Maturation of the Executive System during Adolescence
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 16249
OP 16261
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2345-13.2013
VO 33
IS 41
A1 Satterthwaite, Theodore D.
A1 Wolf, Daniel H.
A1 Erus, Guray
A1 Ruparel, Kosha
A1 Elliott, Mark A.
A1 Gennatas, Efstathios D.
A1 Hopson, Ryan
A1 Jackson, Chad
A1 Prabhakaran, Karthik
A1 Bilker, Warren B.
A1 Calkins, Monica E.
A1 Loughead, James
A1 Smith, Alex
A1 Roalf, David R.
A1 Hakonarson, Hakon
A1 Verma, Ragini
A1 Davatzikos, Christos
A1 Gur, Ruben C.
A1 Gur, Raquel E.
YR 2013
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/41/16249.abstract
AB Adolescence is characterized by rapid development of executive function. Working memory (WM) is a key element of executive function, but it is not known what brain changes during adolescence allow improved WM performance. Using a fractal n-back fMRI paradigm, we investigated brain responses to WM load in 951 human youths aged 8–22 years. Compared with more limited associations with age, WM performance was robustly associated with both executive network activation and deactivation of the default mode network. Multivariate patterns of brain activation predicted task performance with a high degree of accuracy, and also mediated the observed age-related improvements in WM performance. These results delineate a process of functional maturation of the executive system, and suggest that this process allows for the improvement of cognitive capability seen during adolescence.