Investigating the development of higher-level cognition from childhood to adolescence

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The period between childhood and adolescence is characterized by profound changes to cognitive abilities, such as, reasoning, memory, planning and cognitive control. The importance of the development of these cognitive abilities is not limited to childhood and adolescence, but extends into adulthood. For instance, one of the best predictors of adult life quality is cognitive functioning. Coinciding with maturing cognitive abilities during childhood and adolescence are significant changes to the structure and function of the brain, as well as considerable changes to various lifestyle factors. The goal of my research program is to take a holistic approach to examining the development of various cognitive abilities, the structural and functional brain mechanisms that support them, and how they are influenced by demographic and lifestyle factors. We will use the Cambridge Brain Sciences-Pediatric (CBS-P) platform, a cognitive battery comprised of 12 tests to characterize the development of cognition in children and adolescents (between the ages of 7 and 15). However, we will not study cognitive development in isolation; changes to the brain and lifestyle factors are crucial for understanding how various cognitive systems develop. Therefore, we will use neuroimaging to examine how the development of different cognitive abilities, at both the group and individual level, are mediated by changes to the function and structure of the brain. Moreover, we will collect information about demographic (age, sex, socio-economic status) and lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, substance use, and sleep in particular, to examine how they influence development of cognitive abilities and whether their influence remains constant from childhood to adolescence. The results of the proposed projects will provide a normative template for the development of various aspects of cognition, the underlying neural mechanisms associated with cognitive development, and the link between neurocognitive development lifestyle factors. The holistic approach to examining cognition during childhood and adolescence will serve as a benchmark for identifying typical and atypical development during childhood and adolescence.