Brain Maturation Subserving Cognitive Control Development

为了产生有意义的、目标导向的行为，有必要能够在脑海中保留相关信息，并根据需要在心理上操纵这些信息（即使用工作记忆）。还需要记住和使用规定如何在不同情况下做出反应的规则，并随着情况的变化在任务和规则之间灵活切换。工作记忆的操作和灵活使用任务规则并在任务规则之间切换的能力被称为认知控制功能，因为它们使我们能够控制自己的思想和行为。认知控制被认为依赖于前额皮质（PFC）及其与大脑其他区域的相互作用。然而，对成人的脑成像研究表明，不同的控制功能可能依赖于不同的大脑区域。此外，对儿童时期认知控制发展的行为研究表明，这些功能可能以不同的速度成熟。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，西尔维娅·a·邦吉博士正在研究儿童时期大脑活动的变化，这些变化会导致特定认知控制功能的发育改善。为此，在儿童和年轻人（8-25岁）执行需要工作记忆和灵活规则使用的任务时，正在获取功能磁共振成像（fMRI）数据。描述认知控制的神经机制的发育变化将进一步加深我们对正常认知发展的理解，并导致对成人大脑控制机制的见解。这些发现将为理解认知控制发展如何在神经发育障碍中受到损害，以及如何修改学校教学以使患有控制障碍的儿童受益奠定基础。该项目将为一些学生提供研究培训和指导，包括一名研究生、一名研究助理和几名本科生。该项目将促进几位女科学家的科学事业。研究结果将通过神经科学会议和儿童发展会议进行传播，并将发表在同行评议的期刊上。

To produce meaningful, goal-directed behavior, it is necessary to be able to keep relevant information in mind and to mentally manipulate this information as needed (i.e., use working memory). It is also necessary to remember and use rules that specify how to respond under different circumstances and to switch flexibly between tasks and rules as the circumstances change. Working memory manipulation and the ability to use and switch flexibly between task rules are among the functions referred to as cognitive control functions, in that they enable us to control our thoughts and actions. Cognitive control is thought to rely on prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its interactions with other brain regions. However, brain imaging research in adults suggests that different control functions may rely on different brain regions. Moreover, behavioral research on the development of cognitive control over childhood suggests that these functions may mature at different rates. Dr. Silvia A. Bunge, with support of NSF, is examining the changes in brain activity over childhood that give rise to developmental improvements in specific cognitive control functions. To this end, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is being acquired while children and young adults (ages 8-25) perform tasks that require working memory and flexible rule use. Characterizing developmental changes in the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control will further our understanding of normal cognitive development and lead to insights regarding control mechanisms in the adult brain. These findings will lay the foundation for understanding how cognitive control development is compromised in neurodevelopmental disorders, and how teaching in schools might be modified to benefit children with disordered control. This project will provide research training and mentoring to a number of students, including a graduate student, a research assistant, and several undergraduates. The project will promote the scientific careers of at several female scientists. The findings will be disseminated via neuroscience conferences and child development conferences, and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.