Moriguchi Yusuke, Hiraki Kazuo
Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Apr 7;106(14):6017-21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0809747106. Epub 2009 Mar 30.
Cognitive shifting is the ability to adapt to changes in the environment. Extensive research has revealed that the prefrontal cortex plays an important role in cognitive shifting. Adult neuroimaging studies have shown that the inferior prefrontal cortex is activated during cognitive shifting tasks. Developmental studies have shown that cognitive shifting changes significantly during preschool years. It is known that 3-year-old children often perseverate to previous mental sets, whereas 5-year-old children do not. Developmental psychologists assume that maturation of the prefrontal cortex plays an essential role in the development of shifting; however, direct supporting evidence is lacking. We used near-infrared spectroscopy and showed that inferior prefrontal activation is associated with successful shifting in young children. We also showed that even preschool children display adult-like inferior prefrontal activation during a simple cognitive shifting task. This report demonstrates the neural origins of cognitive shifting in young children. These results have the potential to contribute to our understanding of cognitive and brain development in both typically and atypically developed children.
认知转换是指适应环境变化的能力。广泛的研究表明，前额叶皮质在认知转换中起着重要作用。成人神经影像学研究表明，在认知转换任务中，前额叶下部皮质会被激活。发展研究表明，在学龄前阶段，认知转换会发生显著变化。众所周知，3岁儿童常常会执着于之前的思维模式，而5岁儿童则不会。发展心理学家认为，前额叶皮质的成熟在转换能力的发展中起着至关重要的作用；然而，缺乏直接的支持证据。我们使用近红外光谱法表明，前额叶下部的激活与幼儿成功的转换相关。我们还表明，即使是学龄前儿童在简单的认知转换任务中也会表现出类似成人的前额叶下部激活。本报告揭示了幼儿认知转换的神经起源。这些结果有可能有助于我们理解正常发育和发育异常儿童的认知和大脑发育。
