Relating changes in fronto-parietal networks to changes in control over memory: A longitudinal, cognitive neuroscience approach to memory development in childhood

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Early in childhood, children have difficulties remembering episodes from their past that are bound to specific times and places. This ability to remember, referred to as episodic memory, improves dramatically in middle childhood. These improvements have been linked to increased (a) control over memory encoding and retrieval (mnemonic control), (b) use of mnemonic strategies, and (c) knowledge and monitoring of ongoing thought processes (metacognition). However, little is known about which and how age-graded changes in brain structure support these three components. The present application primarily aims at a better understanding of the neural mechanisms that are related to increasing control over memory encoding and retrieval.Recent advances in structural magnetic resonance imaging have enabled researchers to study the developmental association between brain structure and episodic memory in humans by relating changes in gray and white matter to improvements in memory performance. Building on these advances, the proposed project pursues two major goals: (1) to longitudinally investigate the contributions of regional gray matter changes in prefrontal and parietal regions to the development of mnemonic control; (2) to examine how changes in structural connectivity within and between prefrontal and parietal regions contribute to developmental increases in mnemonic control. To attain these goals, longitudinal change in performance in 8- to 10-year-old children and adults will be assessed in an episodic memory task with varying demands on mnemonic control. This task will be complemented by additional measures to permit the investigation of mnemonic and metacognitive control development at the latent factor level. Measures of memory change will be related to changes in cortical thickness in frontal and parietal regions using structural equation modeling, as well as to changes in the structural connectivity of frontal and parietal regions using an explorative whole-brain mapping of anatomical correlations. The proposed research project is likely to further our understanding of structural brain changes underlying normal episodic memory development during middle childhood and adolescence. It would also foster the scientific career of the applicant in multiple ways. The two hosts, Simona Ghetti and Silvia Bunge, are international leaders in the field of memory development, and have successfully collaborated with each other on related issues. Working with Simona Ghetti would allow the applicant to learn more about psychological theories of memory development during childhood and the use of quasi-experimental designs in behavioral research. Working with Silvia Bunge would foster the expertise of the applicant in neuroscience methods, in general, and the contribution of prefrontal cortex maturation to mnemonic control, in particular. In addition, the proposed project would profit from the extant expertise of the applicant in structural equation modeling.