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Löffler C, Frischkorn GT, Hagemann D, Sadus K, Schubert AL. The common factor of executive functions measures nothing but speed of information uptake. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:1092-1114. [PMID: 38372769 PMCID: PMC11143038 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01924-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate about the unity and diversity of executive functions and their relationship with other cognitive abilities such as processing speed, working memory capacity, and intelligence. Specifically, the initially proposed unity and diversity of executive functions is challenged by discussions about (1) the factorial structure of executive functions and (2) unfavorable psychometric properties of measures of executive functions. The present study addressed two methodological limitations of previous work that may explain conflicting results: The inconsistent use of (a) accuracy-based vs. reaction time-based indicators and (b) average performance vs. difference scores. In a sample of 148 participants who completed a battery of executive function tasks, we tried to replicate the three-factor model of the three commonly distinguished executive functions shifting, updating, and inhibition by adopting data-analytical choices of previous work. After addressing the identified methodological limitations using drift-diffusion modeling, we only found one common factor of executive functions that was fully accounted for by individual differences in the speed of information uptake. No variance specific to executive functions remained. Our results suggest that individual differences common to all executive function tasks measure nothing more than individual differences in the speed of information uptake. We therefore suggest refraining from using typical executive function tasks to study substantial research questions, as these tasks are not valid for measuring individual differences in executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Löffler
- Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | | | - Dirk Hagemann
- Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Sadus
- Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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2
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Freis SM, Alexander JD, Anderson JE, Corley RP, De La Vega AI, Gustavson DE, Vrieze SI, Friedman NP. Associations between executive functions assessed in different contexts in a genetically informative sample. J Exp Psychol Gen 2024; 153:70-85. [PMID: 37668562 PMCID: PMC10843656 DOI: 10.1037/xge0001471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive functions that help direct goal-related behavior. EFs are usually measured via behavioral tasks assessed in highly controlled laboratory settings under the supervision of a research assistant. Online versions of EF tasks are an increasingly popular alternative to in-lab testing. However, researchers do not have the same control over the testing environment during online EF assessments. To assess the extent to which EFs assessed in-lab and online are related, we used data from the Colorado Online Twin Study (CoTwins; 887 individual twins aged 13.98-19.05) and constructed an Lab Common EF factor and an Online Common EF factor from four EF tasks assessed in-lab and online. The Lab Common and Online Common EF factors were genetically identical (rA = 1.00) but phenotypically separable (r = .77, 95% confidence interval [0.59, 0.94]) indicating that these EF factors have the same genetic underpinnings but may be differentially influenced by environmental factors. We examined phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between the EF factors and a general cognitive ability factor (g) assessed in the lab and found similar relationships between Lab Common EF and g and Online Common EF and g. Overall, these results suggest that Common EF factors assessed in different contexts are highly related to each other and similarly related to other cognitive outcomes. These findings indicate that online task-based EF assessments could be a viable strategy for increasing sample sizes in large-scale studies, particularly genetically informed studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Freis
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | | | | | - Robin P. Corley
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | | | | | - Scott I. Vrieze
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
| | - Naomi P. Friedman
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
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3
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Walsh MM, Van Deusen K, Prince MA, Esbensen AJ, Thurman AJ, Pinks ME, Patel LR, Feigles RT, Abbeduto L, Daunhauer LA, Fidler DJ. Preliminary psychometric properties of an inhibition task in young children with Down syndrome. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES : JOID 2023:17446295231218776. [PMID: 38066720 PMCID: PMC11161557 DOI: 10.1177/17446295231218776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Background: Executive function (EF) skills are important treatment targets for people with Down syndrome (DS); however, few EF measures have been evaluated for use with young children in this population. Methods: The present study evaluated preliminary psychometric properties of a measure of the EF component of inhibition. Participants were 73 children with DS between 2.5 and 8.67 years old who completed an adapted ability to delay task using a desirable toy. Results: Across two separate trials, latencies to touch the toys were significantly correlated. Latencies increased overall with chronological and mental age, with caveats for the youngest and oldest participants. Conclusion: Findings suggest that an adapted prohibition task is an appropriate method of measuring inhibition for children with DS between 4 and 7 years old, though many children in this chronological age range are at early stages of acquiring this skill set.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anna J Esbensen
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Angela John Thurman
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
- University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Lina R Patel
- University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Robyn Tempero Feigles
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
- University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Leonard Abbeduto
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
- University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
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Schachar RJ. Fifty years of executive control research in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:What we have learned and still need to know. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 155:105461. [PMID: 37949153 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
For 50 years, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been considered a disorder of executive control (EC), the higher-order, cognitive skills that support self-regulation, goal attainment and what we generally call "attention." This review surveys our current understanding of the nature of EC as it pertains to ADHD and considers the evidence in support of eight hypotheses that can be derived from the EC theory of ADHD. This paper provides a resource for practitioners to aid in clinical decision-making. To support theory building, I draw a parallel between the EC theory of ADHD and the common gene-common variant model of complex traits such as ADHD. The conclusion offers strategies for advancing collaborative research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell J Schachar
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G1X8, Canada.
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Battista F, Lanciano T, Borrelli P, Curci A. The Cognitive Cost of Repetitive Thinking: A Study on the Effects of Shifting and Updating on Rumination of Emotional Experiences. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1569. [PMID: 38002529 PMCID: PMC10669856 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the consequence of resource competition between post-emotional processing and concurrent cognitive tasks. Previous studies have shown that such a resource competition engenders both short-term (e.g., defeats in the execution of the working memory task) and long-term effects (e.g., procrastination or rumination following an emotional experience). We expected these effects to vary as a function of the different WM components involved (shifting, Study 1; updating, Study 2). In two studies, participants (Study 1: N = 48; Study 2: N = 42) were administered one out of two variants of a visuospatial task (Study 1: shifting; Study 2: updating) adopted by Curci and colleagues before and after a negative or neutral manipulation. Rumination was assessed immediately after the second WM task performance and 24 h later. In Study 1, results showed that the exposure to negative content impaired the subsequent executive performance compared with exposure to neutral material, while no difference was found in Study 2. Rumination for emotional material was higher and more persistent over time as a function of shifting resources but not for updating ones. These findings provide information on the possible role of individuals' cognitive resources on rumination for emotional experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Battista
- Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, 70121 Bari, Italy; (T.L.); (P.B.); (A.C.)
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Ramos C, Pereira AF, Feher A, Baptista J. How does sensitivity influence early executive function? A critical review on hot and cool processes. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 73:101895. [PMID: 37856950 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
There is compelling evidence that the quality of caregiver-child interactions during toddlerhood and the preschool years supports the development of executive function (EF) (Bernier et al., 2010; 2015; 2016; Fay-Stammbach et al., 2014; Geeraerts et al., 2021). Based on such findings, we make the case herein that sensitivity may be one of the most important dimensions of parenting contributing to early EF. In the present article, we will review empirical evidence, integrating findings from a wide range of scientific disciplines - cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and developmental psychopathology - and present theoretical ideas about how two contexts of sensitive caregiving - i.e. sensitivity to distress and non-distress cues - may be contributing differently to hot and cool EF development. Implications for future investigations on the environmental contributors of early EF, and its mechanisms, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cláudia Ramos
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Alfredo F Pereira
- NOVA School of Science and Technology, Center of Technology and Systems (UNINOVA-CTS), NOVA University Lisbon.
| | - Amber Feher
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Joana Baptista
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.
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7
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Arnatkeviciute A, Lemire M, Morrison C, Mooney M, Ryabinin P, Roslin NM, Nikolas M, Coxon J, Tiego J, Hawi Z, Fornito A, Henrik W, Martinot JL, Martinot MLP, Artiges E, Garavan H, Nigg J, Friedman NP, Burton C, Schachar R, Crosbie J, Bellgrove MA. Trans-ancestry meta-analysis of genome wide association studies of inhibitory control. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4175-4184. [PMID: 37500827 PMCID: PMC10827666 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02187-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in effective executive function, including inhibitory control are associated with risk for a number of psychiatric disorders and significantly impact everyday functioning. These complex traits have been proposed to serve as endophenotypes, however, their genetic architecture is not yet well understood. To identify the common genetic variation associated with inhibitory control in the general population we performed the first trans-ancestry genome wide association study (GWAS) combining data across 8 sites and four ancestries (N = 14,877) using cognitive traits derived from the stop-signal task, namely - go reaction time (GoRT), go reaction time variability (GoRT SD) and stop signal reaction time (SSRT). Although we did not identify genome wide significant associations for any of the three traits, GoRT SD and SSRT demonstrated significant and similar SNP heritability of 8.2%, indicative of an influence of genetic factors. Power analyses demonstrated that the number of common causal variants contributing to the heritability of these phenotypes is relatively high and larger sample sizes are necessary to robustly identify associations. In Europeans, the polygenic risk for ADHD was significantly associated with GoRT SD and the polygenic risk for schizophrenia was associated with GoRT, while in East Asians polygenic risk for schizophrenia was associated with SSRT. These results support the potential of executive function measures as endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders. Together these findings provide the first evidence indicating the influence of common genetic variation in the genetic architecture of inhibitory control quantified using objective behavioural traits derived from the stop-signal task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurina Arnatkeviciute
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lemire
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Claire Morrison
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioural Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Michael Mooney
- Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Peter Ryabinin
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Nicole M Roslin
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Molly Nikolas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - James Coxon
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeggan Tiego
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ziarih Hawi
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Walter Henrik
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jean-Luc Martinot
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U1299 "Developmental trajectories & psychiatry" Université Paris-Saclay, Ecole Normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre Borelli, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U1299 "Developmental trajectories & psychiatry" Université Paris-Saclay, Ecole Normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre Borelli, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- AP-HP, Sorbonne Université, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Eric Artiges
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U1299 "Developmental trajectories & psychiatry" Université Paris-Saclay, Ecole Normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre Borelli, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Etablissement Public de Santé (EPS) Barthélemy Durand, 91700, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, France
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Vermont, 05405, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Joel Nigg
- Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Naomi P Friedman
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioural Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Christie Burton
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Russell Schachar
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Crosbie
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark A Bellgrove
- The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Landers MJF, Rutten GJM, De Baene W, Gehring K, Sitskoorn MM, Butterbrod E. Executive functioning following surgery near the frontal aslant tract in low-grade glioma patients: A patient-specific tractography study. Cortex 2023; 167:66-81. [PMID: 37540952 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Frontal Aslant Tract (FAT) has been associated with executive functions (EF), but it remains unclear what role the FAT plays in EF, and whether preoperative dysfunction of the FAT is associated to long-lasting postsurgical executive impairments. METHODS In this study, we examined the course of EF from pre-surgery (n = 75) to 3 (n = 61) and 12 (n = 25) months after surgery in patients with frontal and parietal low-grade gliomas (LGGs), to establish the degree to which long-term EF deficits exist. Secondly, we used patient-specific tractography to investigate the extent to which overlap of the tumor with the FAT, as well as integrity of the FAT, presurgery were related to EF on the short and longer term after surgery. RESULTS LGG patients performed worse than healthy controls on all EF tests before and 3 months postsurgery. Whereas performances on three out of the four tests had normalized 1 year postsurgery (n = 26), performance on the cognitive flexibility test remained significantly worse than in healthy controls. Patients in whom the tumor overlapped with the core of the right FAT performed worse presurgery on three of the EF tests compared to those in whom the tumor did not overlap with the right FAT. Presurgical right FAT integrity was not related to presurgical EF, but only to postsurgical EF (from pre-to 3 months postsurgery). Longitudinal analyses demonstrated that patients with right (but not left) FAT core overlap performed on average worse over the pre- and postsurgical timepoints on the cognitive flexibility test. CONCLUSIONS We emphasized that LGG patients perform worse than healthy controls on the EF tests, which normalizes 1-year postsurgery except for cognitive flexibility. Importantly, in patients with right hemispheric tumors, tumor involvement of the FAT was associated with worse pre- and 3- months postsurgical performance, specifically concerning cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud J F Landers
- Department of Neurosurgery, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
| | - Geert-Jan M Rutten
- Department of Neurosurgery, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Wouter De Baene
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - K Gehring
- Department of Neurosurgery, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Margriet M Sitskoorn
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Elke Butterbrod
- Department of Neurosurgery, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Ma J, Tang L, Peng P, Wang T, Gui H, Ren X. Shifting as an executive function separate from updating and inhibition in old age: Behavioral and genetic evidence. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114604. [PMID: 37516210 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the organization of executive functions (EFs), specifically working memory updating, prepotent response inhibition, and mental-set shifting in old age, with a particular focus on determining whether the shifting function was behaviorally and genetically separated from the other functions. A total of 248 healthy older Chinese individuals participated, and multiple measures of executive functions were collected. Additionally, measures of fluid intelligence were included to explore the varying relationships between the three executive functions and this higher-order cognitive ability. Furthermore, genetic data were gathered and analyzed to investigate the associations between EFs and six candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapped to dopaminergic, serotonergic, or glutamatergic genes. The results indicated that both the three-factor model and the two-factor model, which combined updating and inhibition, demonstrated a good fit. Furthermore, shifting was found to be behaviorally separated from the other two functions, and the correlation between shifting and fluid intelligence was smaller compared to the correlations between updating and inhibition with fluid intelligence. Moreover, the DRD2 SNPs showed significant associations with shifting, rather than with updating and inhibition. These findings provide evidence that shifting is distinct and separate from updating and inhibition, highlighting the diversity of EFs among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanjuan Ma
- School of Education, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixu Tang
- School of Wushu, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Peng Peng
- Department of Special Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Tengfei Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongsheng Gui
- Behavioral Health Services and Psychiatry Research, Henry Ford Health, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Xuezhu Ren
- School of Education, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Younger JW, O’Laughlin KD, Anguera JA, Bunge SA, Ferrer EE, Hoeft F, McCandliss BD, Mishra J, Rosenberg-Lee M, Gazzaley A, Uncapher MR. Better together: novel methods for measuring and modeling development of executive function diversity while accounting for unity. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1195013. [PMID: 37554411 PMCID: PMC10405287 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1195013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Executive functions (EFs) are linked to positive outcomes across the lifespan. Yet, methodological challenges have prevented precise understanding of the developmental trajectory of their organization. METHODS We introduce novel methods to address challenges for both measuring and modeling EFs using an accelerated longitudinal design with a large, diverse sample of students in middle childhood (N = 1,286; ages 8 to 14). We used eight adaptive assessments hypothesized to measure three EFs, working memory, context monitoring, and interference resolution. We deployed adaptive assessments to equate EF challenge across ages and a data-driven, network analytic approach to reveal the evolving diversity of EFs while simultaneously accounting for their unity. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Using this methodological paradigm shift brought new precision and clarity to the development of these EFs, showing these eight tasks are organized into three stable components by age 10, but refinement of composition of these components continues through at least age 14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Wise Younger
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Kristine D. O’Laughlin
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Joaquin A. Anguera
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Silvia A. Bunge
- Department of Psychology & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Emilio E. Ferrer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Bruce D. McCandliss
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Jyoti Mishra
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neural Engineering & Translation Labs, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | | | - Adam Gazzaley
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Melina R. Uncapher
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Advanced Education Research and Development Fund, Oakland, CA, United States
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11
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Schröer L, Cooper RP, Mareschal D. Assessing executive functions in free-roaming 2- to 3-year-olds. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1210109. [PMID: 37457086 PMCID: PMC10338926 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1210109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Core aspects of executive functions (EFs) are known to be related to academic skills such as literacy and numeracy. However, school outcomes may also be related to higher-level functions such as planning. Nevertheless, few studies have considered assessing natural manifestations of higher-level EFs in children who are on the cusp of entering formal schooling. One reason for this is the difficulty of obtaining ecologically valid measures of EFs in preschool-aged children. Method We describe a novel task - building a striped Duplo tower subject to two constraints - designed to assess planning in real-world multi-action situation. Children were instructed to build a tower to a certain height by alternating between two different colors of blocks. Results Performance on one of the constraints in this task was found to vary with age. Importantly, distinct components of multiple constraints planning performance predicted laboratory-based measures of inhibitory control and working memory efficacy. Discussion Thus, this task provides a simple, cheap and effective way of assessing executive function in toddlers through the observation of natural behavior. It also opens up possibilities to investigate the neurodevelopment of EF in the real world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne Schröer
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard P. Cooper
- Centre for Cognition, Computation and Modelling, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Denis Mareschal
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Cognition, Computation and Modelling, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Ramos BER, Inozemtseva O. Impaired cognitive control moderates the relation between the attribution of incentive salience and severity of consumption in patients with methamphetamine dependence. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 249:110816. [PMID: 37329731 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive control and the attribution of incentive salience are two key neuropsychological processes proposed to explain substance use disorder (SUD). However, little is known about how they interact to influence the severity of drug use in people with SUD. OBJECTIVE To determine if cognitive control exerts a moderating effect on the relation between the attribution of salience to drug/reward-related cues and the severity of drug use in SUD cases. METHOD Sixty-nine SUD cases with methamphetamine as the main drug of consumption were selected and evaluated. Participants performed the Stroop, Go/No-Go, and Flanker tasks to identify a latent cognitive control factor, and the Effort-Expenditure for Reward task, as well as answering the Methamphetamine Incentive Salience Questionnaire to measure the attribution of incentive salience. Severity of drug use was determined by the KMSK scale and an exploratory clinical interview. RESULTS As expected, higher incentive salience attribution predicted greater severity of methamphetamine use. Unexpectedly, however, we found a moderating effect of impaired cognitive control on the relations between higher incentive salience scores and higher monthly drug use, and between younger age at onset of systematic drug use and higher incentive salience scores. CONCLUSION Results show the moderating role of cognitive control on the relation between incentive salience attribution and severity of drug use in SUD cases, and help explain the chronic, relapsing nature of addiction, knowledge necessary to develop more precise prevention and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Inozemtseva
- Instituto de Neurociencias, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; Departamento de Estudios en Educación, CUCSH, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
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Sambol S, Suleyman E, Scarfo J, Ball M. A true reflection of executive functioning or a representation of task-specific variance? Re-evaluating the unity/diversity framework. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 236:103934. [PMID: 37156119 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The unity/diversity framework, originally published by Miyake et al. (2000) has become the most cited model of executive functioning. Consequently, when researchers operationalise executive function (EF) they often exclusively assess the three "core" EFs: updating, shifting, and inhibition. However, rather than core EFs representing domain general cognitive abilities, these three EFs may instead represent specific procedural skills from the overlapping methodologies of the tasks selected. In this study, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) which showed both the traditional three-factor and nested-factor model from the unity/diversity framework failed to reach satisfactory levels of fit. Subsequently, an exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor model reflecting: an expanded working memory factor, a combined shifting/inhibition factor representing cognitive flexibility, and a factor comprised solely of the Stroop task. These results demonstrate that working memory remains the most robustly operationalised EF construct, whereas shifting and inhibition may represent task-specific mechanisms of a broader domain-general cognitive flexibility factor. Ultimately, there is little evidence to suggest that updating, shifting, and inhibition encapsulates all core EFs. Further research is needed to develop an ecologically valid model of executive functioning that captures the cognitive abilities associated with real world goal-directed behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stjepan Sambol
- Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Emra Suleyman
- Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessica Scarfo
- Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michelle Ball
- Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Li W, Nefs HT, Emmen RA, Woudstra MLJ, Branger MC, Wang L, Alink LR, Mesman J. Does parental autonomy support mediate the relation between parent and infant executive function? A study of mothers and fathers in the Netherlands and China. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 71:101833. [PMID: 36990019 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Parenting skills, such as Autonomy Support (AS), have been proposed as a potential mechanism explaining the intergenerational contiguity of Executive Function (EF). However, few studies have focused on mothers and fathers among non-Western families. The current study investigated the role of maternal and paternal AS in the relation between parental EF and infant EF at 14 months of age among 123 Dutch and 63 Chinese first-time mothers and fathers and their infants. Multiple-group structural equation models were built for mothers and fathers separately with country as a grouping variable. Results showed that parental AS did not mediate the relation between parent EF and infant EF at 14 months. Mean-level differences were found in parental AS, maternal EF, and infant inhibition across countries, while no country differences were found in the relation between parent EF, AS and infant EF. Our findings suggested that individual differences in early EF may not be stable enough to be reliably predicted from parental factors across the Netherlands and China.
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Froger G, Blättler C, Bonnardel N. L’acquisition de l’expertise ou l’abandon progressif du renforcement des processus génériques. PSYCHOLOGIE FRANCAISE 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.psfr.2023.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
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16
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Hung IT, Ganiban JM, Saudino KJ. Using the Flanker Task to Examine Genetic and Environmental Contributions in Inhibitory Control Across the Preschool Period. Behav Genet 2023; 53:132-142. [PMID: 36449137 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-022-10129-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The limited research exploring genetic and environmental influences on inhibitory control (IC) in preschoolers has relied on parent ratings or simple delay tasks and has produced mixed results. The present study uses a cognitively-challenging Flanker task to examine genetic and environmental contributions to the development of early IC in a longitudinal sample of 310 same-sex twin pairs (123 MZ; 187 DZ; 51% female) assessed at ages 3, 4 and 5 years. IC was significantly heritable at each age (a2: age 3 = .36; age 4 = .36; age 5 = .35). Stability was entirely accounted for by genetic influences, and change was explained by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. No significant shared environmental influences were observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Tzu Hung
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Jody M Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kimberly J Saudino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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Hughes C, Foley S, Browne W, McHarg G, Devine RT. Developmental links between executive function and emotion regulation in early toddlerhood. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 71:101782. [PMID: 36796156 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Developmental associations between poor executive function (EF) and problem behaviors in toddlerhood indicate that the interplay between cognition and affect begins very early in life (Hughes, Devine, Mesman, & Blair, 2020). However, very few longitudinal studies of toddlers have included direct measures of both EF and emotion regulation (ER). In addition, while models of ER highlight the importance of situational contexts (e.g., Miller, McDonough, Rosenblum, Sameroff, 2005), existing work is limited by a heavy reliance on lab-based observations of mother-child dyads. Addressing these twin gaps, the current study of 197 families included video-based ratings of ER in toddlers' dyadic play with both mothers and fathers at each of two time-points (14- and 24-months), with parallel measures of EF being gathered in each home visit. Our cross-lagged analyses showed that EF at 14 months predicted ER at 24 months, but this association was limited to observations of toddlers with mothers. It was also asymmetric: ER at 14 months did not predict EF at 24 months. These findings support co-regulation models of early ER and highlight the predictive utility of very early individual differences in EF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Hughes
- Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sarah Foley
- Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Wendy Browne
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Rory T Devine
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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18
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Brendgen M, Zheng Y, Vitaro F, Dionne G, Boivin M. Gene-Environment Interplay Linking Peer Victimization With Adolescents' Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 62:261-271. [PMID: 36007818 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain-either additively or interactively with peer victimization-different trajectories of adolescents' depressive symptoms and whether genetic factors related to distinct trajectories are correlated with peer victimization. METHOD Participants included 902 twins (52% girls) who self-reported peer victimization and depressive symptoms in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11. RESULTS Growth mixture modeling revealed 3 trajectories of depressive symptoms: low (69.2% of participants), increasing (19.5%), and high-decreasing-increasing (11.3%). Biometric modeling showed that, for both sexes, genetic factors explained roughly half (52.6%, 47.5%) of the probability of following either a low or an increasing trajectory. Genetic influences (41%) were also observed for the high-decreasing-increasing trajectory, albeit only for girls. Nonshared environmental influences explained the remaining variances, along with shared environmental influences (27%) on the high-decreasing-increasing trajectory. Only for the low and the increasing trajectories, nonshared environmental influences increased with more frequent peer victimization (blow = 0.206, 95% CI [0.094, 0.325]; bincreasing = 0.246, 95% CI [0.143, 0.356]). Moreover, peer victimization was associated with a lower probability of a low trajectory and a higher probability of an increasing or high-decreasing-increasing trajectory, and these associations were mostly explained by common underlying genetic factors. CONCLUSION Youth expressing (partly inherited) depressive symptoms may be at risk of peer victimization. However, increasing depressive symptoms in victims may be mitigated by other environmental factors except for those who enter adolescence with already high levels of depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Brendgen
- Université du Québec à Montréal and the Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Yao Zheng
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Frank Vitaro
- Université de Montréal and the Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Do pre-schoolers with high touchscreen use show executive function differences?. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2023; 139:107553. [PMID: 36744000 PMCID: PMC9746296 DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU ≥ 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced performance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hypothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality.
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20
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Yan H, Lau WKW, Eickhoff SB, Long J, Song X, Wang C, Zhao J, Feng X, Huang R, Wang M, Zhang X, Zhang R. Charting the neural circuits disruption in inhibitory control and its subcomponents across psychiatric disorders: A neuroimaging meta-analysis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 119:110618. [PMID: 36002101 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibitory control, comprising cognitive inhibition and response inhibition, showed consistent deficits among several major psychiatric disorders. We aim to identify the trans-diagnostic convergence of neuroimaging abnormalities underlying inhibitory control across psychiatric disorders. METHODS Inhibitory control tasks neuroimaging, including functional magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography articles published in PubMed and Web of Science before April 2020 comparing healthy controls with patients with several psychiatric disorders were searched. RESULTS 146 experiments on 2653 patients with different disorders and 2764 control participants were included. Coordinates of case-control differences coded by diagnosis and inhibitory control components were analyzed using activation likelihood estimation. A robust trans-diagnostic pattern of aberrant brain activation in the bilateral cingulate gyri extending to medial frontal gyri, right insula, bilateral lentiform nuclei, right inferior frontal gyrus, right precuneus extending to inferior parietal lobule, and right supplementary motor area were detected. Frontostriatal pathways are the commonly disrupted neural circuits in the inhibitory control across psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, Patients showed aberrant activation in the dorsal frontal inhibitory system in cognitive inhibition, while in the frontostriatal system in response inhibition across disorders. CONCLUSION Consistent with the Research Domain Criteria initiative, current findings show that psychiatric disorders may be productively formulated as a phenotype of trans-diagnostic neurocircuit disruption. Our results provide new insights for future research into mental disorders with inhibition-related dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Yan
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Department of Science and Education, The People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou, PR China
| | - Way K W Lau
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, PR China
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jüelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jixin Long
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiaoqi Song
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Chanyu Wang
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Jiubo Zhao
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiangang Feng
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ruiwang Huang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Maosheng Wang
- Department of Science and Education, The People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou, PR China
| | - Xiaoyuan Zhang
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
| | - Ruibin Zhang
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
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21
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Baron LS, Arbel Y. Inner Speech and Executive Function in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Implications for Assessment and Intervention. PERSPECTIVES OF THE ASHA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS 2022; 7:1645-1659. [PMID: 38957614 PMCID: PMC11218747 DOI: 10.1044/2022_persp-22-00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Purpose Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) also have difficulty with executive function. The presence of co-occurring deficits in language and executive function can obscure assessment results and lead to the implementation of ineffective interventions. It is also the case that inner speech, or the use of self-directed language to guide thought and action, often mediates performance on executive function tasks. The aims of this tutorial are to (a) summarize what is known about how inner speech affects executive function performance in typical populations and children with DLD and (b) highlight potential implications for clinical practice and directions for future research. We provide a brief background on inner speech, including theoretical frameworks, typical development, and measurement approaches. We then summarize research on inner speech and executive function involving typical adults and children, followed by a description of the few studies involving children with DLD. Conclusions Work with typical adults and children has concluded that inner speech operates as a self-cueing device to support understanding of task rules, sequencing of task order, and maintenance of task goals. Work involving children with DLD suggests that their inner speech is less mature, less relevant, and less effective overall when completing executive function tasks. However, very few studies have examined the relations between inner speech and executive function in children with DLD. It is important for speech-language pathologists to understand the potential role of inner speech during executive function tasks, given how often these skills are utilized during everyday activities. Although more research is needed, speech-language pathologists are in a unique position to support both language and executive function goals for children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren S. Baron
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Yael Arbel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
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22
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Ribner A, Devine RT, Blair C, Hughes C. Mothers' and fathers' executive function both predict emergent executive function in toddlerhood. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13263. [PMID: 35357069 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
There are multivariate influences on the development of children's executive function throughout the lifespan and substantial individual differences can be seen as early as when children are 1 and 2 years of age. These individual differences are moderately stable throughout early childhood, but more research is needed to better understand their origins. To some degree, individual differences in executive function are correlated between mother and child, but no research to date has examined these associations prior to when children are preschool age, nor have any studies considered the role of fathers' and mothers' executive function in tandem. Here, we use a sample of 484 families (Mothers 89.2% white; Fathers 92.5% white) in three countries (UK, USA, Netherlands) to investigate the role of each parents' executive function on the development of children's (49.7% female) executive function from 14 (M = 14.42, SD = 0.57) to 24 (M = 24.47, SD = 0.78) months, as well as parenting practices that underlie these associations. Results of structural equation models suggest stability in some-but not all-components of executive function and growing unity between components as children age. We replicate extant findings such that mothers' executive function predicts children's executive function over and above stability and extend these findings to include associations between father and child skills. We find an additive role of fathers' EF, similar in magnitude to the role of mothers' EF. Finally, for both mothers and fathers we find that sensitivity and autonomy supportive practices mediate the relations between parents' and children's executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Ribner
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rory T Devine
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Population Health, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Claire Hughes
- Center for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Castillo A, Lopez LD. Studying hot executive function in infancy: Insights from research on emotional development. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 69:101773. [PMID: 36137464 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent calls have urged to bridge the fields of emotional and cognitive development to advance theoretical and empirical pursuits. Yet, despite notable overlap between research on executive function and emotion regulation, a uniting theory that informs future avenues of research is lacking. Infants are known to lack emotion regulation skills, as they are developing the abilities to regulate their emotions and coordinated responses. However, the field of emotional development demonstrates that at an early age, infants are adept at regulating their behaviors in response to others emotional reactions. Moreover, although classic delay of gratification tasks are fairly ecological measures, rarely are rules expressed to infants without emotions. This paper draws from recent interest in hot executive function to link infancy research on executive function and emotion. Hot executive function lends itself as a useful construct in this endeavor because it unites the study emotion and executive function. We offer a perspective that refines hot executive function within prominent emotion theories while discussing infant executive function and emotion empirical pursuits. Our perspective presents reliable paradigms from the field of emotional development to serve as tools for studying the development of hot executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lukas D Lopez
- Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, USA
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24
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Menu I, Rezende G, Le Stanc L, Borst G, Cachia A. Inhibitory control training on executive functions of children and adolescents: A latent change score model approach. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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25
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Forssman L, Gottwald JM. The impact of interactive book sharing on child cognitive and socio-cognitive development (the REaL trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2022; 23:802. [PMID: 36153547 PMCID: PMC9509634 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06733-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The quality of children’s early home learning environment has an influence on their cognitive development, preliteracy skills, and subsequent educational outcomes. Early intervention programs that promote positive parenting behaviors and child cognition have great potential to positively influence children’s school readiness and thereby support social equality. One often advocated parental practice for promoting child language and cognition is interactive book sharing. Methods We have conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of a parent-child interactive book sharing intervention on early child language, cognition, and parental behaviors. Participating caregivers and their 10-month-old child were randomized to an interactive book sharing intervention group (n = 59) or to an active control group (n = 56). The intervention was delivered by a facilitator to small groups of parent-child dyads on a weekly basis over 5 weeks. The primary outcomes were child language and socio-cognition; secondary outcomes were child executive function and parental scaffolding, sensitivity and reciprocity during book sharing, and problem-solving tasks. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6 and 12 months post-intervention. Discussion The Roadmap to Executive function and Language (REaL) trial aims to evaluate the impact of a brief early parenting intervention on key factors for child development, including child cognition and parental behaviors. If this intervention is beneficial for child outcomes, that would be of significance for the development of early interventions to promote child development. Trial registration The REaL trial is registered on the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number database, registration number ISRCTN22319305. Retrospectively registered on 7 February 2020. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06733-8.
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Hendry A, Greenhalgh I, Bailey R, Fiske A, Dvergsdal H, Holmboe K. Development of directed global inhibition, competitive inhibition and behavioural inhibition during the transition between infancy and toddlerhood. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13193. [PMID: 34811852 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitory control (IC) is a core executive function integral to self-regulation and cognitive control, yet is itself multi-componential. Directed global inhibition entails stopping an action on demand. Competitive inhibition is engaged when an alternative response must also be produced. Related, but not an executive function, is temperamentally-driven wariness of novelty, known as behavioural inhibition. Understanding early development of these components has been hampered by a shortage of suitable measures. We combine established and novel measures to capture directed global inhibition (Toy Prohibition, Touchscreen Prohibition), competitive inhibition (A-not-B, Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task; ECITT) and behavioural inhibition (Touchscreen Approach) in 113 10- and 16-month-olds (73 seen longitudinally). ECITT performance shows good 1-week test-retest reliability at 10-months (r = 0.30-0.60) but little stability to 16-months. Directed global inhibition performance shows developmental progression but little stability of individual differences from 10 to 16 months. Performance on measures targeting similar IC components shows greater coherence at 16-months (r = 0.23-0.59) compared with 10-months (r = 0.09-0.35). Probing of ECITT condition effects indicates toddlers are more able, compared with infants, to override immediate prepotencies; indicative of increasingly flexible control over behaviour. However, exerting IC over cumulative prepotencies appears just as challenging for toddlers as infants. Exploratory analyses show little evidence for cross-sectional or longitudinal associations between behavioural, directed global and competitive inhibition. In combination, these findings indicate that IC is not yet a stable, unidimensional construct during the transition between infancy and toddlerhood, and highlight the need for careful selection of multiple measures for those interested in capturing early variation in IC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Abigail Fiske
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Henrik Dvergsdal
- Division of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Nord University Business School, Bodø, Norway
| | - Karla Holmboe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Menu I, Rezende G, Le Stanc L, Borst G, Cachia A. A network analysis of executive functions before and after computerized cognitive training in children and adolescents. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14660. [PMID: 36038599 PMCID: PMC9424216 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17695-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) play a key role in cognitive and socioemotional development. Factor analyses have revealed an age dependent structure of EFs spanning from a single common factor in early childhood to three factors in adults corresponding to inhibitory control (IC), switching and updating. IC performances change not only with age but also with cognitive training. Surprisingly, few studies have investigated training-related changes in EFs structure. We used the regularized partial correlation network model to analyze EFs structure in 137 typically developing children (9-10 years) and adolescents (15-17 years) before and after computerized cognitive training. Network models (NMs) -a graph theory-based approach allowing us to describe the structure of complex systems- can provide a priori free insight into EFs structures. We tested the hypothesis that training-related changes may mimic developmental-related changes. Quantitative and qualitative changes were detected in the EFs network structure with age and also with cognitive training. Of note, the EFs network structure in children after training was more similar to adolescents' networks than before training. This study provided the first evidence of structural changes in EFs that are age and training-dependent and supports the hypothesis that training could accelerate the development of some structural aspects of EFs. Due to the sample size, these findings should be considered preliminary before replication in independent larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Menu
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education, UMR CNRS 8240, Universite Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Gabriela Rezende
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education, UMR CNRS 8240, Universite Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Lorna Le Stanc
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education, UMR CNRS 8240, Universite Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Grégoire Borst
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education, UMR CNRS 8240, Universite Paris Cité, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Cachia
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Education, UMR CNRS 8240, Universite Paris Cité, Paris, France. .,Imaging Biomarkers for Brain Development and Disorders, UMR INSERM 1266, GHU Paris psychiatrie & neurosciences, Universite Paris Cité, 75005, Paris, France.
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28
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Schröer L, Cooper RP, Mareschal D. Left, right, left, right: 24–36‐months‐olds’ planning and execution of simple alternating actions. INFANCY 2022; 27:1104-1115. [DOI: 10.1111/infa.12494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne Schröer
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck College University of London London UK
| | - Richard P. Cooper
- Centre for Cognition Computation and Modelling Birkbeck College University of London London UK
| | - Denis Mareschal
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck College University of London London UK
- Centre for Cognition Computation and Modelling Birkbeck College University of London London UK
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29
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Fedeli D, Del Maschio N, Del Mauro G, Defendenti F, Sulpizio S, Abutalebi J. Cingulate cortex morphology impacts on neurofunctional activity and behavioral performance in interference tasks. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13684. [PMID: 35953536 PMCID: PMC9372177 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17557-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control is the capacity to withhold or suppress a thought or action intentionally. The anterior Midcingulate Cortex (aMCC) participates in response inhibition, a proxy measure of inhibitory control. Recent research suggests that response inhibition is modulated by individual variability in the aMCC sulcal morphology. However, no study has investigated if this phenomenon is associated with neurofunctional differences during a task. In this study, 42 participants performed an Attention Network Task and a Numerical Stroop task in an MRI scanner. We investigated differences in brain activity and response inhibition efficiency between individuals with symmetric and asymmetric aMCC sulcal patterns. The results showed that aMCC morphological variability is partly associated with inhibitory control, and revealed greater activation in individuals with symmetric patterns during the Stroop task. Our findings provide novel insights into the functional correlates of the relationship between aMCC morphology and executive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Fedeli
- Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.,Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Via Olgettina, 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Via Olgettina, 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Del Mauro
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Via Olgettina, 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Defendenti
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Via Olgettina, 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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30
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A cognitive neurogenetic approach to uncovering the structure of executive functions. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4588. [PMID: 35933428 PMCID: PMC9357028 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32383-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
One central mission of cognitive neuroscience is to understand the ontology of complex cognitive functions. We addressed this question with a cognitive neurogenetic approach using a large-scale dataset of executive functions (EFs), whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity, and genetic polymorphisms. We found that the bifactor model with common and shifting-specific components not only was parsimonious but also showed maximal dissociations among the EF components at behavioral, neural, and genetic levels. In particular, the genes with enhanced expression in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and the subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG) showed enrichment for the common and shifting-specific component, respectively. Finally, High-dimensional mediation models further revealed that the functional connectivity patterns significantly mediated the genetic effect on the common EF component. Our study not only reveals insights into the ontology of EFs and their neurogenetic basis, but also provides useful tools to uncover the structure of complex constructs of human cognition.
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31
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Austerberry C, Mateen M, Fearon P, Ronald A. Heritability of Psychological Traits and Developmental Milestones in Infancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2227887. [PMID: 35994288 PMCID: PMC9396365 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Although infancy is the most rapid period of postnatal growth and development, factors associated with variation in infant traits are not well understood. OBJECTIVE To synthesize the large twin study literature partitioning phenotypic variance in psychological traits and developmental milestones in infancy into estimates of heritability and shared and nonshared environment. DATA SOURCES PubMed, PsycINFO, and references of included publications were searched up to February 11, 2021. STUDY SELECTION Peer-reviewed publications using the classical twin design to study psychological traits and developmental milestones from birth to 2 years old were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Data were extracted in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and categorized using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version. Data were pooled in 3-level random effects models, incorporating within-cohort variance in outcome measurement and between-cohort variance. Data were analyzed from March 2021 through September 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomes were monozygotic and dizygotic twin correlations. These were used to calculate genetic and shared and nonshared environment estimates. RESULTS Among 139 publications that were systematically retrieved, data were available on 79 044 twin pairs (31 053 monozygotic and 47 991 dizygotic pairs), 52 independent samples, and 21 countries. Meta-analyses were conducted on psychological traits and developmental milestones from 106 publications organized into 10 categories of functioning, disability, and health. Moderate to high genetic estimates for 8 categories were found, the highest of which was psychomotor functions (pooled h2, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.25-0.79; P < .001). Several categories of traits had substantial shared environment estimates, the highest being mental functions of language (pooled c2, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.24-0.86; P = .001). All examined categories of traits had moderate or high nonshared environment estimates, the highest of which were emotional functions (pooled e2, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.33-0.50; P < .001) and family relationships (pooled e2, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30-0.55; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings may be an important source of information to guide future gene discovery research, public perspectives on nature and nurture, and clinical insights into the degree to which family history and environments may estimate major domains of infant functioning, disability, and health in psychological traits and developmental milestones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Austerberry
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Mateen
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pasco Fearon
- Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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32
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Broomell AP, Bell MA. Longitudinal development of executive function from infancy to late childhood. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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33
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Paz Y, Davidov M, Orlitsky T, Roth-Hanania R, Zahn-Waxler C. Developmental trajectories of empathic concern in infancy and their links to social competence in early childhood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:762-770. [PMID: 34492744 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Empathic concern is an important component of children's social competence. Yet, little is known about the role of the development of concern for others during infancy as a predictor of social competence in early childhood. METHODS Israeli infants (N = 165, 50% girls) were observed five times, from 3 to 36 months. Empathic concern was assessed at ages 3-18 months using observations, and four components of social competence were assessed at 36 months using observations and teacher reports. RESULTS Four groups with distinct developmental trajectories of empathic concern from 3 to 18 months were identified: early-onset (starting high and increasing), low-empathy (starting low with minimal increase), rising (starting low and increasing considerably), and a very small group with a negative slope (decreasing). The first three trajectories differed on aspects of social competence at 36 months. Early-onset children continued to exhibit the highest empathic concern. Both the early-onset and rising groups had greater affective knowledge than the low-empathy group. Moreover, the rising group had better peer relations compared with low-empathy trajectory children. CONCLUSIONS Children who exhibit high levels of empathy early in infancy are likely to show high social competence later on. However, even when initial empathy levels are low, subsequent growth in empathy from 3 to 18 months can occur, with positive consequences for children's social competence at 36 months. Only children with low initial empathic concern and minimal growth across infancy are at increased risk of having poorer socioemotional capabilities in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Paz
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Tal Orlitsky
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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34
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Blum M, Ribner A. Parents’ expressed emotions and children’s executive functions. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 219:105403. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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35
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Hendry A, Agyapong MA, D'Souza H, Frick MA, Portugal AM, Konke LA, Cloke H, Bedford R, Smith TJ, Karmiloff-Smith A, Jones EJH, Charman T, Brocki KC. Inhibitory control and problem solving in early childhood: Exploring the burdens and benefits of high self-control. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2022; 31:e2297. [PMID: 35983171 PMCID: PMC9364682 DOI: 10.1002/icd.2297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Low inhibitory control (IC) is sometimes associated with enhanced problem-solving amongst adults, yet for young children high IC is primarily framed as inherently better than low IC. Here, we explore associations between IC and performance on a novel problem-solving task, amongst 102 English 2- and 3-year-olds (Study 1) and 84 Swedish children, seen at 18-months and 4-years (Study 2). Generativity during problem-solving was negatively associated with IC, as measured by prohibition-compliance (Study 1, both ages, Study 2 longitudinally from 18-months). High parent-reported IC was associated with poorer overall problem-solving success, and greater perseveration (Study 1, 3-year-olds only). Benefits of high parent-reported IC on persistence could be accounted for by developmental level. No concurrent association was observed between problem-solving performance and IC as measured with a Delay-of-Gratification task (Study 2, concurrent associations at 4-years). We suggest that, for young children, high IC may confer burden on insight- and analytic-aspects of problem-solving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hendry
- Psychology Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London London UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Mary A Agyapong
- Psychology Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London London UK
| | - Hana D'Souza
- Department of Psychology & Newnham College University of Cambridge Cambridge UK.,Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck, University of London London UK
| | | | - Ana Maria Portugal
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck, University of London London UK.,Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Women's and Children's Health Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | | | - Hamish Cloke
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck, University of London London UK
| | - Rachael Bedford
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London London UK.,Department of Psychology University of Bath Bath UK
| | - Tim J Smith
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck, University of London London UK
| | | | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck, University of London London UK
| | - Tony Charman
- Psychology Department Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London London UK
| | - Karin C Brocki
- Department of Psychology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
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36
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Marcusson-Clavertz D, Persson SD, Cardeña E, Terhune DB, Gort C, Kuehner C. The contribution of latent factors of executive functioning to mind wandering: an experience sampling study. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:34. [PMID: 35467232 PMCID: PMC9038971 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00383-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that individuals with greater executive resources spend less time mind wandering. Independent strands of research further suggest that this association depends on concentration and a guilty-dysphoric daydreaming style. However, it remains unclear whether this association is specific to particular features of executive functioning or certain operationalizations of mind wandering, including task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs, comprising external distractions and mind wandering) and stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thoughts (SITUTs, comprising mind wandering only). This study sought to clarify these associations by using confirmatory factor analysis to compute latent scores for distinct executive functions based on nine cognitive tasks and relating them to experience sampling reports of mind wandering. We expected that individuals with greater executive control (specifically updating) would show a stronger reduction in SITUTs as momentary concentration and guilty-dysphoric style increase. A bifactor model of the cognitive battery indicated a general factor (common executive functioning) and ancillary factors (updating and shifting). A significant interaction between updating and concentration on mind wandering was observed with mind wandering defined as TUTs, but not as SITUTs (N = 187). A post hoc analysis clarified this discrepancy by showing that as concentration increases, both external distractions and mind wandering decrease more strongly among people with greater updating. Moreover, common executive functioning predicted a more negative slope of guilty-dysphoric style on SITUTs, whereas updating and shifting predicted more positive slopes. The opposite slopes of these executive functions on daily life mind wandering may reflect a stability-flexibility trade-off between goal maintenance and goal replacement abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Marcusson-Clavertz
- Department of Psychology, Linnaeus University, Hus L, Trummenvägen 11, 351 95, Växjö, Sweden. .,CERCAP, Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | | | - Etzel Cardeña
- CERCAP, Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Devin B Terhune
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Cassandra Gort
- Research Group Longitudinal and Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christine Kuehner
- Research Group Longitudinal and Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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37
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Musculus L, Lautenbach F, Knöbel S, Reinhard ML, Weigel P, Gatzmaga N, Borchert A, Pelka M. An Assist for Cognitive Diagnostics in Soccer: Two Valid Tasks Measuring Inhibition and Cognitive Flexibility in a Soccer-Specific Setting With a Soccer-Specific Motor Response. Front Psychol 2022; 13:867849. [PMID: 35432102 PMCID: PMC9009540 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In professional soccer, players, coaches, and researchers alike recognize the importance of cognitive skills. Research addressing the relevance of cognitive skills has been based on the cognitive component skills approach (i.e., general cognitive processes) or the expert performance approach (i.e., sport-specific cognitive processes). Our project aimed to combine the strengths of both approaches to develop and validate cognitive tasks measuring inhibition and cognitive flexibility in a soccer-specific setting with a soccer-specific motor response. In the main study 77 elite youth soccer players completed a computerized version of the standard flanker and number-letter tasks as well as flanker and number-letter tasks requiring a soccer-specific motor response (i.e., pass) in a soccer-specific setting (i.e., the SoccerBot360). Results show good reliability for both tasks. For the SoccerBot360 number-letter task, switch effects for response times and accuracy and acceptable convergent validity were shown. A flanker effect for response time but not accuracy was apparent. Due to no acceptable convergent validity, the flanker task was revised (i.e., adaptation of stimuli) and 63 adult soccer players participated in a follow-up validation study in the SoccerBot100. The revised flanker task showed the flanker effect for response time, but not for accuracy. However, acceptable convergent validity for response time was present. Thus, the soccer-specific number-letter and to some extent the soccer-specific flanker task show potential to be used as a valid cognitive diagnostic tool by soccer clubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Musculus
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Franziska Lautenbach
- Sport Psychology, Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute for Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simon Knöbel
- Sport Psychology, Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute for Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Leo Reinhard
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Sport Psychology and Research Methods, Institute of Sports Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Weigel
- Umbrella Sofware GmbH, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute for Applied Training Science, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Maximilian Pelka
- RasenBallsport Leipzig GmbH, Leipzig, Germany.,FC Bayern München AG, Munich, Germany
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38
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Is Early Bilingual Experience Associated with Greater Fluid Intelligence in Adults? LANGUAGES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/languages7020100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that early bilingual experience constrains the development of attentional processes in infants, and that some of these early bilingual adaptations could last into adulthood. However, it is not known whether the early adaptations in the attentional domain alter more general cognitive abilities. If they do, then we would expect that bilingual adults who learned their second language early in life would score more highly across cognitive tasks than bilingual adults who learned their second language later in life. To test this hypothesis, 170 adult participants were administered a well-established (non-verbal) measure of fluid intelligence: Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM). Fluid intelligence (the ability to solve novel reasoning problems, independent of acquired knowledge) is highly correlated with numerous cognitive abilities across development. Performance on the RAPM was greater in bilinguals than monolinguals, and greater in ‘early bilinguals’ (adults who learned their second language between 0–6 years) than ‘late bilinguals’ (adults who learned their second language after age 6 years). The groups did not significantly differ on a proxy of socioeconomic status. These results suggest that the difference in fluid intelligence between bilinguals and monolinguals is not a consequence of bilingualism per se, but of early adaptive processes. However, the finding may depend on how bilingualism is operationalized, and thus needs to be replicated with a larger sample and more detailed measures.
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39
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Pener-Tessler R, Markovitch N, Knafo-Noam A. The Special Role of Middle Childhood in Self-Control Development: Longitudinal and Genetic Evidence. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13270. [PMID: 35436381 PMCID: PMC9539564 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite the importance of self-control for well-being and adjustment, its development from early childhood to early adolescence has been relatively understudied. We addressed the development of mother-reported self-control in what is likely the largest and longest longitudinal twin study of the topic to this day (N = 1,889 individual children with data from at least one of 5 waves: ages 3, 5, 6.5, 8-9 and 11 years). We examined rank-order change in self-control from early childhood to early adolescence, genetic and environmental contributions to variance in the trait and differential developmental trajectories. The relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to change and stability was also examined. Results point at middle childhood as a period of potential transition and change. During this period the rank-order stability of self-control increases, heritability rates substantially rise, and a cross-over occurs in two of the self-control trajectories. Non-additive genetic effects contribute to both stability and change in self-control while the non-shared environment contributes mostly to change, with no effect for the shared environment. Our findings suggest that new genetic factors, that emerge around age 6.5 and whose effect on self-control is carried on along development, may partially account for changes in self-control around late middle childhood, and explain the growing stability in the trait approaching early adolescence. We discuss the implications of the special role of middle childhood for self-control development. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roni Pener-Tessler
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noam Markovitch
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ariel Knafo-Noam
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
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40
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Peterson EC, Snyder HR, Neilson C, Rosenberg BM, Hough CM, Sandman CF, Ohanian L, Garcia S, Kotz J, Finegan J, Ryan CA, Gyimah A, Sileo S, Miklowitz DJ, Friedman NP, Kaiser RH. General and Specific Dimensions of Mood Symptoms Are Associated With Impairments in Common Executive Function in Adolescence and Young Adulthood. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:838645. [PMID: 35496074 PMCID: PMC9048678 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.838645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Both unipolar and bipolar depression have been linked with impairments in executive functioning (EF). In particular, mood symptom severity is associated with differences in common EF, a latent measure of general EF abilities. The relationship between mood disorders and EF is particularly salient in adolescence and young adulthood when the ongoing development of EF intersects with a higher risk of mood disorder onset. However, it remains unclear if common EF impairments have associations with specific symptom dimensions of mood pathology such as blunted positive affect, mood instability, or physiological arousal, or if differences in common EF more broadly relate to what is shared across various symptom domains, such as general negative affect or distress. To address this question, bifactor models can be applied to simultaneously examine the shared and unique contributions of particular mood symptom dimensions. However, no studies to our knowledge have examined bifactor models of mood symptoms in relation to measures of common EF. This study examined associations between common EF and general vs. specific symptom dimensions (anhedonia, physiological arousal, and mania) using structural equation modeling in adolescents and young adults with varying severity of mood symptoms (n = 495, ages = 13-25 years, 68.69% female). A General Depression factor capturing shared variance across symptoms statistically predicted lower Common EF. Additionally, a factor specific to physiological arousal was associated with lower Common EF. Anhedonia-specific and Mania-specific factors were not significantly related to Common EF. Altogether, these results indicate that deficits in common EF are driven by, or reflect, general features of mood pathology that are shared across symptom dimensions but are also specifically associated with physiological arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena C. Peterson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Hannah R. Snyder
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Chiara Neilson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Benjamin M. Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Christina M. Hough
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Christina F. Sandman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Leoneh Ohanian
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Samantha Garcia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Juliana Kotz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jamie Finegan
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Caitlin A. Ryan
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Abena Gyimah
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Sophia Sileo
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - David J. Miklowitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Naomi P. Friedman
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Roselinde H. Kaiser
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States,*Correspondence: Roselinde H. Kaiser
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Kerr-German A, Namuth A, Santosa H, Buss AT, White S. To snack or not to snack: Using fNIRS to link inhibitory control to functional connectivity in the toddler brain. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13229. [PMID: 35005833 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitory control (IC) emerges in infancy (Holmboe, Bonneville-Roussy, Csibra, & Johnson, 2018), continues to develop throughout childhood (Lui, Zhu, Zeigler, & Shi, 2015; Ordaz, Foran, Velanova, & Luna, 2013) and is linked to later life outcomes such as school achievement, prosocial behavior, and psychopathology (Duckworth, Tsukayama, & Kirby, 2013; Jaekel, Madzwamuse, & Wolke, 2015). Little, however, is known about the neural processes underpinning IC, especially in 2-year-olds. In this study, we examine functional connectivity in 2.5-year-olds while recording hemodynamic responses via functional infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a traditional snack delay task. We found that functional connectivity strength between left frontal and parietal cortex and bilateral parietal cortex were positively associated with performance on this task. The current findings present the first neural data for toddlers during this inhibitory control task. Further, these data are the first to link this self-regulatory process to differences in brain development within this population. Implications for future directions and work with clinical populations are discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Kerr-German
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning
| | - August Namuth
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning
| | | | - Aaron T Buss
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee
| | - Stuart White
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience
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A systematic review of the use of subcortical intraoperative electrical stimulation mapping for monitoring of executive deficits and neglect: what is the evidence so far? Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2022; 164:177-191. [PMID: 34674026 PMCID: PMC8761150 DOI: 10.1007/s00701-021-05012-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past decade, the functional importance of white matter pathways has been increasingly acknowledged in neurosurgical planning. A method to directly study anatomo-functional correlations is direct electrical stimulation (DES). DES has been widely accepted by neurosurgeons as a reliable tool to minimize the occurrence of permanent postoperative motor, vision, and language deficits. In recent years, DES has also been used for stimulation mapping of other cognitive functions, such as executive functions and visuospatial awareness. METHODS The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence so far from DES studies on subcortical pathways that are involved in visuospatial awareness and in the following three executive functions: (1) inhibitory control, (2) working memory, and (3) cognitive flexibility. RESULTS Eleven articles reported on intraoperative electrical stimulation of white matter pathways to map the cognitive functions and explicitly clarified which subcortical tract was stimulated. The results indicate that the right SLF-II is involved in visuospatial awareness, the left SLF-III and possibly the right SLF-I are involved in working memory, and the cingulum is involved in cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS We were unable to draw any more specific conclusions, nor unequivocally establish the critical involvement of pathways in executive functions or visuospatial awareness due to the heterogeneity of the study types and methods, and the limited number of studies that assessed these relationships. Possible approaches for future research to obtain converging and more definite evidence for the involvement of pathways in specific cognitive functions are discussed.
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Friedman NP, Robbins TW. The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:72-89. [PMID: 34408280 PMCID: PMC8617292 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01132-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 321] [Impact Index Per Article: 160.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Concepts of cognitive control (CC) and executive function (EF) are defined in terms of their relationships with goal-directed behavior versus habits and controlled versus automatic processing, and related to the functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and related regions and networks. A psychometric approach shows unity and diversity in CC constructs, with 3 components in the most commonly studied constructs: general or common CC and components specific to mental set shifting and working memory updating. These constructs are considered against the cellular and systems neurobiology of PFC and what is known of its functional neuroanatomical or network organization based on lesioning, neurochemical, and neuroimaging approaches across species. CC is also considered in the context of motivation, as "cool" and "hot" forms. Its Common CC component is shown to be distinct from general intelligence (g) and closely related to response inhibition. Impairments in CC are considered as possible causes of psychiatric symptoms and consequences of disorders. The relationships of CC with the general factor of psychopathology (p) and dimensional constructs such as impulsivity in large scale developmental and adult populations are considered, as well as implications for genetic studies and RDoC approaches to psychiatric classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi P Friedman
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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Laureys F, De Waelle S, Barendse MT, Lenoir M, Deconinck FJ. The factor structure of executive function in childhood and adolescence. INTELLIGENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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45
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Erostarbe-Pérez M, Reparaz-Abaitua C, Martínez-Pérez L, Magallón-Recalde S. Executive functions and their relationship with intellectual capacity and age in schoolchildren with intellectual disability. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2022; 66:50-67. [PMID: 34542219 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is certain empirical evidence of, on the one hand, a positive correlation between executive functions (EFs) and intelligence in people with intellectual disability (ID) and, on the other hand, a slower rate of development of EFs in these people relative to people without ID. This evidence is not, however, unequivocal, and further studies are required. METHODS We analysed the relationship between development of EFs and both age and intellectual capacity, in a sample of 106 students with either ID or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) at a special education centre [63 boys and 43 girls, 11-18 years old, mean total intelligence quotient (TIQ) of 59.6]. We applied nine instruments to evaluate both neuropsychological development (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed and verbal fluency) and behavioural development [teachers' perceptions of the EFs of their students by Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Second Edition (BRIEF-2) School]. ID and BIF groups were statistically compared in terms of mean performance measures in EF tests. We looked at the correlation between EFs and age, and correlations between EFs and intelligence: TIQ, fluid intelligence [measured by the perceptual reasoning (PR) sub-index of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV)] and crystallised intelligence (measured by the verbal comprehension (VC) sub-index of WISC-IV). Regression models were built for variables with strong correlation. RESULTS In most of the tests used to evaluate EFs, the ID subgroup performed significantly worse than the subgroup with BIF. In general, teachers' thought that participants had 'medium-low' levels of EFs. TIQ, by WISC-IV scale, correlated significantly with scores in all tests for all EFs. The PR sub-index correlated significantly with 14 of the tests for EFs; 35% of the variation in PR can be explained by variation in performance in Picture Span (working memory) and Mazes (planning). The VC sub-index correlated weakly with seven of the EF tests. We found significant correlations in the ID group between age and scores in all tests of working memory and inhibitory control. Age - considering all participants - did not correlate with any of the variables of teachers' perception except for working memory, and this correlation was not strong. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study are consistent with descriptions of the typical population: (1) fluid intelligence is more related to EFs than crystallised intelligence is; and (2) working memory capacity is the EF most strongly related with general, fluid and crystallised forms of intelligence. The results suggest that as children and adolescents with ID/BIF get older, their capacities for working memory and inhibitory control increase; development of the other EFs studied was less evident. Teachers' perceptions of the EFs of children with ID or BIF were independent of intellectual capacity and age. More research is needed to delve further into the development of EFs in people with ID/BIF.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Erostarbe-Pérez
- Department of Neuropediatry, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Reparaz-Abaitua
- School of Education and Psychology, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - L Martínez-Pérez
- School of Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - S Magallón-Recalde
- School of Education and Psychology, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
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46
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Todd J, Notebaert L, Clarke PJ. The association between self-report and behavioural measure of attentional control: Evidence of no relationship between ACS scores and antisaccade performance. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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47
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The role of infant attention and parental sensitivity in infant cognitive development in the Netherlands and China. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 215:105324. [PMID: 34896764 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Infant attention and parental sensitivity are important predictors of later child executive function (EF). However, most studies have investigated infant and parent factors in relation to child EF separately and included only mothers from Western samples. The current study examined whether both infant attention at 4 months and parental sensitivity at 4 and 14 months were related to infant EF (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) at 14 months among 124 Dutch and 63 Chinese first-time mothers and fathers and their infants. Findings revealed that parental sensitivity at 4 months was not correlated with infant EF abilities at 14 months. However, infant attention at 4 months was significantly related to 14-month working memory, but not to inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Maternal sensitivity at 14 months was significantly related to 14-month inhibition, but not to working memory and cognitive flexibility). No country differences were found in the relation among 4-month infant attention, parental sensitivity, and EF outcomes. Results show that both infant and parent factors are associated with early EF development and that these correlates of early EF skills may be similar in Western and non-Western samples.
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48
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Holmboe K, Larkman C, de Klerk C, Simpson A, Bell MA, Patton L, Christodoulou C, Dvergsdal H. The early childhood inhibitory touchscreen task: A new measure of response inhibition in toddlerhood and across the lifespan. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260695. [PMID: 34855865 PMCID: PMC8638877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into the earliest development of inhibitory control is limited by a lack of suitable tasks. In particular, commonly used inhibitory control tasks frequently have too high language and working memory demands for children under 3 years of age. Furthermore, researchers currently tend to shift to a new set of inhibitory control tasks between infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood, raising doubts about whether the same function is being measured. Tasks that are structurally equivalent across age could potentially help resolve this issue. In the current report, a new response inhibition task, the Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task (ECITT), was developed. This task can be minimally modified to suit different ages, whilst remaining structurally equivalent. In the new task, participants have to overcome a tendency to respond to a frequently rewarded location on a touchscreen and instead make an alternative response. The ECITT was validated in three independent studies (with additional data, N = 166, reported in Supporting Information). In Study 1 (N = 81), cross-sectional data indicated that inhibitory performance on the task improved significantly between 24 and 30 months of age. In Study 2 (N = 38), longitudinal data indicated steady improvement in inhibitory control between 18, 21 and 24 months, with significant stability in individual performance differences between each consecutive age in terms of accuracy (but not in terms of reaction time). Finally, in Study 3 (N = 64), inhibitory performance on a faster-paced version of the same task showed a similar developmental course across the lifespan (4-84 years) to other response inhibition tasks and was significantly correlated with Stop-signal performance. The ECITT extends the assessment of response inhibition earlier than previous tasks-into early toddlerhood. Because the task is simple and structurally equivalent across age, future longitudinal studies should benefit from using the ECITT to investigate the development of inhibitory control in a consistent manner across the toddler years and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Holmboe
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Larkman
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Carina de Klerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Simpson
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Martha Ann Bell
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Leslie Patton
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | | | - Henrik Dvergsdal
- Nord University Business School, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Organisation, Bodø, Norway
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Predovan D, Berryman N, Lussier M, Comte F, Vu TTM, Villalpando JM, Bherer L. Assessment of the Relationship Between Executive Function and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Healthy Older Adults. Front Psychol 2021; 12:742184. [PMID: 34803824 PMCID: PMC8595132 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health in healthy older adults have been reported using a variety of cardiorespiratory fitness estimates (CRFe). Using commonly used methods to determine CRF, we assessed the relationship between CRFe and executive function performance. Healthy older adults (n = 60, mean age 68 years, 77% women), underwent three CRF tests: a Maximal Graded Exercise Test performed on a cycle ergometer, the Rockport Fitness Walking Test, and a Non-Exercise Prediction Equation. Executive function was assessed by a computerized cognitive assessment using an N-Back task (updating cost) and a Stroop task (interference cost, global and local switch cost). Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between different CRFe and executive function performance. Regardless of age and education, cardiorespiratory fitness estimated from the Maximal Graded Exercise Test and the Rockport Fitness Walking Test was significantly associated with the global switch cost. All CRFe were associated with the interference cost. No association was observed between CRFe and local switching costs or the updating costs. In the present study, not all subcomponents of executive function were related to CRFe. Interestingly, the executive functions that were associated with CRFe are those that are known to be the most affected by aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Predovan
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Berryman
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maxime Lussier
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Francis Comte
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Thien Tuong Minh Vu
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Service de Gériatrie, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Louis Bherer
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche, Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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50
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Lui KYK, Hendry A, Fiske A, Dvergsdal H, Holmboe K. Associations between touchscreen exposure and hot and cool inhibitory control in 10-month-old infants. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 65:101649. [PMID: 34653735 PMCID: PMC8641060 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Touchscreen use amongst young children has proliferated in recent years, yet little is known about the association between daily touchscreen exposure and inhibitory control in the first year of life. Previous research has found a negative association between the amount of television viewing and inhibitory control in early childhood, but it is unclear whether negative associations with screen use extend to touchscreens. The current study presents an exploratory analysis of the cross-sectional associations between inhibitory control and the amount of touchscreen use amongst 10-month-olds (n = 128-156). Touchscreen exposure was assessed via parent-report. In order to include a range of "hot" and "cool" aspects of inhibitory control, these skills were assessed using lab-based response inhibition and prohibition tasks as well as parent-reported observations of infants' inhibitory control abilities and broader regulatory behaviors. A "Cognitive Executive Function (EEFQ-CEF)" score (encompassing Inhibitory Control, Flexibility, and Working Memory items) was included as a secondary broader executive function construct to examine whether effects showed specificity to inhibitory control rather than executive functions more generally. Correlation analyses indicated no association between touchscreen exposure and the four indices of IC. However, a positive association was found for the amount of touchscreen exposure and EEFQ-CEF once accounting for sociodemographic variables. The implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Y K Lui
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail Fiske
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik Dvergsdal
- Nord University Business School, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Organisation, Bodø, Norway
| | - Karla Holmboe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
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