Perlman Susan B, Huppert Theodore J, Luna Beatriz
Department of Psychiatry.
Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2016 Jun;26(6):2790-9. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhv139. Epub 2015 Jun 26.
The neural underpinnings of working memory are hypothesized to develop incrementally across preschool and early school age, coinciding with the rapid maturation of executive function occurring during this period. This study investigates the development of prefrontal cortex function between the ages of 3 and 7. Children (n = 68) participated in a novel spatial working memory task while their middle and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) was monitored using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We found increased activation of the LPFC when comparing working memory to rest. Greater LPFC increase was noted for longer compared with shorter delay periods. Increase in LPFC activation, accuracy, and response speed were positively correlated with child age, suggesting that developmental changes in prefrontal function might underlie effective development of executive function in this age range.
工作记忆的神经基础被假定在整个学前和小学早期逐步发展,这与该时期执行功能的快速成熟相吻合。本研究调查了3至7岁儿童前额叶皮质功能的发展。68名儿童参与了一项新颖的空间工作记忆任务,同时使用功能近红外光谱(fNIRS)监测他们的内侧和外侧前额叶皮质(LPFC)。我们发现,与静息状态相比,工作记忆时LPFC的激活增加。与较短延迟期相比,较长延迟期时LPFC的增加更为明显。LPFC激活、准确性和反应速度的增加与儿童年龄呈正相关,这表明前额叶功能的发育变化可能是该年龄范围内执行功能有效发展的基础。