Abstract
The development of executive function (EF) in early childhood contributes to social and academic aspects of school readiness and facilitates emerging self-regulatory competence. Numerous efforts are underway to identify aspects of early brain development that contribute to emerging EF. Existing research supports the importance of multiple white matter tracts for EF in older children and adults. However, this research has not been extended to young children. In this study, we consider neonatal white matter microstructure in relation to children’s performance on a battery of EF tasks three years later. We obtained diffusion tensor imaging data from a sample of neonates (N = 27) shortly after birth. At 3 years of age, children completed a computerized battery of EF tasks. The primary data analyses involved regression models estimated for each white matter tract. Multiple demographic and measure-related covariates were included in each model. A follow-up analysis of tracts determined to be associated with EF examined individual data points along those fibers. Among the white matter tracts analyzed, the cingulum was significantly associated with EF at 3 years of age. Specifically, lower axial diffusivity values along the cingulum were associated with increased performance on the EF battery. Results are discussed as providing initial evidence that individual differences in neonatal brain structure may facilitate the acquisition of EF abilities in early childhood. These findings are consistent with previous research that supports the value of the cingulum for higher-order cognitive abilities. Cautions and implications of these results are considered.
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Acknowledgements
The collection and processing of neuroimaging data for this project were supported with Grants from National Institutes of Mental Health: K01MH099411 (Short, PI) and MH064065, MH 070890 (Gilmore, PI), and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development HD053000 (Gilmore, PI), HD079124. The collection of executive function data for this project was supported by Institute of Educational Sciences grant R324A120033 (Willoughby, PI). Dr. Stephens was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health training Grant T32-MH10644. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of listed funding agencies.
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Short, S.J., Willoughby, M.T., Camerota, M. et al. Individual differences in neonatal white matter are associated with executive function at 3 years of age. Brain Struct Funct 224, 3159–3169 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-01955-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-01955-0