TY - JOUR
T1 - White matter microstructure is associated with cognitive control in children
AU - Chaddock-Heyman, Laura
AU - Erickson, Kirk I.
AU - Voss, Michelle W.
AU - Powers, John P.
AU - Knecht, Anya M.
AU - Pontifex, Matthew B.
AU - Drollette, Eric S.
AU - Moore, R. Davis
AU - Raine, Lauren B.
AU - Scudder, Mark R.
AU - Hillman, Charles H.
AU - Kramer, Arthur F.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding was provided by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (392 NIH 1 R01 HD069381).
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - Cognitive control, which involves the ability to pay attention and suppress interference, is important for learning and achievement during childhood. The white matter tracts related to control during childhood are not well known. We examined the relationship between white matter microstructure and cognitive control in 61 children aged 7-9 years using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique enables an in vivo characterization of microstructural properties of white matter based on properties of diffusion. Such properties include fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity, measures thought to reflect specific biological properties of white matter integrity. Our results suggest that children with higher estimates of white matter integrity in the corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, posterior thalamic radiation, and cerebral peduncle were more accurate during incongruent (>. >. <. >. >, <. <. >. <. <) and neutral (-->--, --<--) trials of a task of cognitive control. Importantly, less interference during the task (i.e., incongruent and neutral difference scores) was associated with greater white matter microstructure in the posterior thalamic radiation and cerebral peduncle. Fiber tracts in a frontal-parietal-striatal-motor circuit seem to play a role in cognitive control in children.
AB - Cognitive control, which involves the ability to pay attention and suppress interference, is important for learning and achievement during childhood. The white matter tracts related to control during childhood are not well known. We examined the relationship between white matter microstructure and cognitive control in 61 children aged 7-9 years using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique enables an in vivo characterization of microstructural properties of white matter based on properties of diffusion. Such properties include fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity, measures thought to reflect specific biological properties of white matter integrity. Our results suggest that children with higher estimates of white matter integrity in the corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, posterior thalamic radiation, and cerebral peduncle were more accurate during incongruent (>. >. <. >. >, <. <. >. <. <) and neutral (-->--, --<--) trials of a task of cognitive control. Importantly, less interference during the task (i.e., incongruent and neutral difference scores) was associated with greater white matter microstructure in the posterior thalamic radiation and cerebral peduncle. Fiber tracts in a frontal-parietal-striatal-motor circuit seem to play a role in cognitive control in children.
KW - Child
KW - Cognition
KW - Diffusion tensor imaging
KW - Flanker
KW - MRI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880287848&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84880287848&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.05.008
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.05.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 23714226
AN - SCOPUS:84880287848
SN - 0301-0511
VL - 94
SP - 109
EP - 115
JO - Biological Psychology
JF - Biological Psychology
IS - 1
ER -