TY - JOUR

T1 - Inhibitory Control Development from Infancy to Early Childhood

T2 - A Longitudinal fNIRS Study

AU - Fiske, Abigail

AU - Mortimer, Alicia

AU - Collins-Jones, Liam

AU - de Klerk, Carina C J M

AU - Gattas, Sylvia Ulieta

AU - Dvergsdal, Henrik

AU - Scerif, Gaia

AU - Holmboe, Karla

PY - 2025/3/29

Y1 - 2025/3/29

N2 - The developmental period from infancy to early childhood is one of substantial change – in advancements in cognitive skills, such as early executive functions, but also in the maturation of the prefrontal and parietal cortices that parallel such advances. The current study aims to investigate the emergence and development of inhibitory control, a core executive function, from infancy to early childhood. We collected longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data from the same sample of participants at 10-months, 16-months, and 3½ years of age whilst they completed the Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task. In our previous publications, we reported that 10-month-old infants recruited right lateralised regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortex when inhibition was required. Despite no change in response inhibition performance, 16-month-olds recruited broader and bilateral regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortex. Results of the current study found that 3½-year-olds activated regions of the right inferior parietal cortex and the right inferior frontal gyrus when inhibition was required. Response inhibition performance was significantly improved by early childhood, yet there was commonality in the brain regions recruited at 16-months and 3½ years. This could suggest that these brain regions are fundamental neural indices of inhibitory control, even from toddlerhood.

AB - The developmental period from infancy to early childhood is one of substantial change – in advancements in cognitive skills, such as early executive functions, but also in the maturation of the prefrontal and parietal cortices that parallel such advances. The current study aims to investigate the emergence and development of inhibitory control, a core executive function, from infancy to early childhood. We collected longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data from the same sample of participants at 10-months, 16-months, and 3½ years of age whilst they completed the Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task. In our previous publications, we reported that 10-month-old infants recruited right lateralised regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortex when inhibition was required. Despite no change in response inhibition performance, 16-month-olds recruited broader and bilateral regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortex. Results of the current study found that 3½-year-olds activated regions of the right inferior parietal cortex and the right inferior frontal gyrus when inhibition was required. Response inhibition performance was significantly improved by early childhood, yet there was commonality in the brain regions recruited at 16-months and 3½ years. This could suggest that these brain regions are fundamental neural indices of inhibitory control, even from toddlerhood.

U2 - 10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101557

DO - 10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101557

M3 - Journal article

VL - 73

JO - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

JF - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

SN - 1878-9293

M1 - 101557

ER -