A shift from diffuse to focal cortical activity with development

Recent imaging studies have suggested that developmental changes may parallel aspects of adult learning in cortical activation becoming less diffuse and more focal over time. However, while adult learning studies examine changes within subjects, developmental findings have been based on cross‐sectio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental science 2006-01, Vol.9 (1), p.1-8
Main Authors: Durston, Sarah, Davidson, Matthew C., Tottenham, Nim, Galvan, Adriana, Spicer, Julie, Fossella, John A., Casey, B.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age differences
Age Factors
Brain - growth & development
Brain - physiology
Brain Hemisphere Functions
Brain Mapping
Child
Child Development
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Processes
Cross-Sectional Studies
Developmental Stages
Diagnostic Tests
Experimental psychology
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neurosciences
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
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Summary:Recent imaging studies have suggested that developmental changes may parallel aspects of adult learning in cortical activation becoming less diffuse and more focal over time. However, while adult learning studies examine changes within subjects, developmental findings have been based on cross‐sectional samples and even comparisons across studies. Here, we used functional MRI in children to test directly for shifts in cortical activity during performance of a cognitive control task, in a combined longitudinal and cross‐sectional study. Our longitudinal findings, relative to our cross‐sectional ones, show attenuated activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortical areas, paralleled by increased focal activation in ventral prefrontal regions related to task performance.
ISSN:1363-755X
1467-7687
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00454.x