Developmental changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.069

NeuroImage

Volume 63, Issue 1, 15 October 2012, Pages 475-484

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.069 Get rights and content

Abstract

The current study investigated age-related changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control through the use of fMRI. Fifty-eight participants ranging continuously in age from 9 to 32 years were scanned as they performed a task in which the need for rapid adjustments in control was greater in one condition than another. Despite comparable behavioral performance across ages, moment-to-moment adjustments were associated with stronger engagement of anterior cingulate, anterior insula, lateral prefrontal cortex and the intraparietal sulcus in older than in younger participants. The findings confirm the importance of cingulo-insular and fronto-parietal cortices for moment-to-moment adjustments in control, and suggest continuous increases in the utilization of these networks over development.

Highlights

► Adjustments in conflict processing investigated with fMRI. ► 58 participants aged 9- to 32-years scanned. ► FP and CI cortex more strongly associated with adjustments in older than younger P’s.

Section snippets

Methods

All procedures were approved by the University Research Ethics Board for Health Sciences Research at Western University, Canada, and are in accordance with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

Behavior

Response times are plotted in Fig. 2 as a function of Age, Condition (25%- and 75%-compatible), and Stimulus Type (compatible and incompatible). In general, response times decreased with increasing age, and were greater to incompatible than compatible stimuli, especially in the 75% compatible condition. A Condition × Stimulus Type repeated-measures ANCOVA with Age as a covariate confirmed that older participants were faster than younger participants, r (58) = −.69, p < .001, and that response times

Discussion

While there is some evidence suggesting the ability to prospectively prepare for future cognitive challenges is late-developing (Chatham et al., 2009, Haith et al., 1994, Waxer and Morton, 2011a), relatively little is known about the development of the ability to adjust rapidly to unanticipated cognitive demand. The current study therefore examined age-related changes in patterns of brain activity associated with rapid adjustments in control. Participants aged 9 to 32 years were administered a

Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by an NSERC Discovery Grant to JBM. Thanks to Bianca DeBenedictis for assistance with editing and Figures.

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Developmental changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control

Abstract

Highlights

Section snippets

Methods

Behavior

Discussion

Acknowledgments

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Neuroimage

Neuropsychologia

Biol. Psychiatry

Neuroimage

Cogn. Psychol.

Neuroimage

Behav. Brain Res.

Biol. Psychiatry

Neuroimage

Learning the value of information in an uncertain world

Nat. Neurosci.

Congruency proportion reveals asymmetric processing of irrelevant physical and numerical dimensions in the size congruity paradigm

Can. J. Exp. Psychol.

Flexible neural mechanisms of cognitive control within human prefrontal cortex

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Pupillometric and behavioral markers of a developmental shift in the temporal dynamics of cognitive control

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Development of distinct control networks through segregation and integration

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Improved assessment of significant activation in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): use of a cluster-size threshold

Magn. Reson. Med.

Analysis of functional image analysis contest (FIAC) data with brainvoyager QX: from single-subject to cortically aligned group general linear model analysis and self-organizing group independent component analysis

Hum. Brain Mapp.

Optimizing the use of information: strategic control of activation of responses

J. Exp. Psychol. Gen.