Mental attention: Common and distinct brain areas across development
Poster No:
1244
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Andrei Faber1, Marie Arsalidou2
Institutions:
1HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, 2York University, Toronto, Canada
First Author:
Co-Author:
Introduction:
Cognitive abilities develop with age as reflected by improved performance in tasks of executive function and working memory. Working memory is a well-established concept and its neural correlates have been documented with neuroimaging (Owen et al., 2005). We consider mental attention as the maturational component of working memory (Arsalidou et al., 2010). Critically, little is known about the development of the brain correlates of mental attention through childhood and adolescence. We used a developmental construct of mental attention to investigate brain correlates related to solving tasks with multiple levels of difficulty in children, adolescents, and adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Methods:
Data from children (9–12 years, n = 24), adolescents (13–16 years, n = 27), and adults (21-29 years, n = 31) were analysed. MRI acquisition was performed on a 3T Philips scanner. An anatomical T1-weighted image (TR = 2300 ms; TE = 2.62 ms; FOV = 256 × 256 × 192 mm³; voxel size = 1×1×1 mm³) was collected for the registration with functional images (TR = 1500 ms; TE = 35 ms; FOV = 230 × 230 × 150 mm³; voxel size = 1.75 × 1.75 × 3.0 mm³), which were collected while children completed the CMT (Color Matching Task). In a blocked design, participants were asked to indicate whether the relevant colors match those presented in the previous slide. Task difficulty was indexed by the number of relevant colors (n = 1-6). MRI data preprocessing and analyses were conducted using AFNI (Cox, 1996). Statistical maps were obtained for six contrasts by subtracting task-related blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal associated with each difficulty level from the signal related to control blocks with fixation cross. A linear regression was applied to whole-brain activity using general linear model (GLM) analyses. The statistical threshold was set at p < .001 with a cluster size threshold of 40 voxels, which is equivalent to cluster-level q < .05, FDR corrected.
Results:
The first analytical goal was to examine mental attention activations modulated by level of difficulty separately for each age group. Conjunction analysis revealed common brain areas for each level of difficulty across three age groups. Specifically, common regions of significant activation for easy and moderate levels were the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), bilateral superior parietal lobule (SPL), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL), pre-supplementary motor area (Pre-SMA), and bilateral cerebellum lobules VII, VIII in all three age groups (Figure 1). The right intraparietal sulcus was the only common brain area across age groups for the hard levels of difficulty. However, implication and lateralization of other brain regions such as middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex varied by both age and level of difficulty in CMT.
·Figure 1. Common brain areas for CMT across children, adolescents and adults
Conclusions:
The study revealed that mental attention is expressed in frontoparietal regions in children, adolescents and adults, which is consistent with past research on working memory (e.g., Yaple et al., 2019 for meta-analysis). However, we observe the common brain regions becoming distinct as a function of age group, especially at hard levels of CMT, expressed by effects of hemispheric variation and spatial extent. For instance, children rely primarily on the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas adolescents elicit activity in the prefrontal cortex bilaterally. Overall, results highlight the protracted development of the prefrontal cortex and support the notion of functional reorganization during school-age years. Findings have practical and theoretical applications for understanding of cognitive development.
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making
Learning and Memory:
Working Memory
Lifespan Development:
Early life, Adolescence, Aging 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Activation (eg. BOLD task-fMRI) 2
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Attention: Visual
Keywords:
Other - Mental Attention; Working Memory; Cognitive Development; Task-based fMRI
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
Cox, R. (1996), 'AFNI: Software for Analysis and Visualization of Functional Magnetic Resonance Neuroimages', Computers and Biomedical Research, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 162-173
Owen, A. M. (2005), 'N‐Back Working Memory Paradigm: A meta‐analysis of normative functional neuroimaging studies', Human Brain Mapping, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 46–59
Yaple, Z. (2019), 'Meta-analyses of the n-back working memory task: fMRI evidence of age-related changes in prefrontal cortex involvement across the adult lifespan', Neuroimage, vol. 196, pp. 16-31