Training, maturation, and genetic influences on the development of executive attention

Abstract

A neural network underlying attentional control involves the anterior cingulate in addition to lateral prefrontal areas. An important development of this network occurs between 3 and 7 years of age. We have examined the efficiency of attentional networks across age and after 5 days of attention training (experimental group) compared with different types of no training (control groups) in 4-year-old and 6-year-old children. Strong improvement in executive attention and intelligence was found from ages 4 to 6 years. Both 4-and 6-year-olds showed more mature performance after the training than did the control groups. This finding applies to behavioral scores of the executive attention network as measured by the attention network test, event-related potentials recorded from the scalp during attention network test performance, and intelligence test scores. We also documented the role of the temperamental factor of effortful control and the DAT1 gene in individual differences in attention. Overall, our data suggest that the executive attention network appears to develop under strong genetic control, but that it is subject to educational interventions during development.attentional intervention ͉ child development ͉ dopamine genes ͉ effortful control ͉ network efficiency A ttention involves separable networks that compute different functions. One of these, the executive attention network, involves the anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal areas and is activated strongly in situations that entail attentional control, such as when there is conflict between responses suggested by stimulus dimensions (1-3). An imaging study showed that three different tasks involving conflict activated a common network that included the anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal brain areas (3). Although conflict is a good way to activate this network, it has been shown to be active in a wide variety of tasks that involve thinking about the required response. In previous work we have related executive attention to the mechanisms for self-regulation of cognition and emotion (4).All human beings have an executive attention network with a similar enough anatomy to average over subjects in imaging studies (2, 3). However, there are also clear individual differences in the efficiency of network performance. A twin study showed that the efficiency of the executive network was highly heritable (5). To date, alleles of four dopamine-related genes have been found to relate to the efficiency of performance in this network (6-9).Our studies of the executive network in children have adopted a child version of the Attention Network Test (Child ANT) (10). This test uses a version of the flanker task (11) to assess the ability to resolve conflict and uses different cue conditions to examine alerting and orienting (10). We have found a substantial development of executive attention between 3 and 7 years of age (4, 10). Although much of this development is under genetic control, it is also likely that the home and school environment can exert an influen...

Dopaminergic genotype biases spatial attention in healthy children

“…Although a number of studies have reported an influence of the 10-repeat allele of the 3 0 -UTR VNTR on cognitive or physiological measures in both healthy and clinical populations, 23,24,[34][35][36][37] the current report is the first to demonstrate an effect of the 3-repeat intron 8 allele on cognitive measures in healthy children. Linking allelic variation in a polymorphism to cognitive measures is an important way to establish the functional significance of that polymorphism.…”

Changes in behavior and salivary cortisol after targeted cognitive training in typical 12-month-old infants.

“…Comparable studies with older children have generally found that training effects, where detectable, tend to be maintained at intervals ranging from two months to a year (Dunning et al, 2013;Klingberg et al, 2005;Rueda, Rothbart, McCandliss, Saccomanno, & Posner, 2005). However, it is unknown whether training effects are as persistent in infants.…”

Preterm Toddlers' Inhibitory Control Abilities Predict Attention Regulation and Academic Achievement at Age 8 Years

“…inhibitory or effortful control) may mediate effects of preterm birth on cognitive outcomes [7,8] and later achievement [9,10]. Inhibitory control predicts the development of the executive attention network [11] and is related to children's executive functions (EFs), high-level cognitive abilities that allow humans to show adaptive, goal-directed behavior in complex situations [12]. In an ever-changing and unpredictable environment, EFs, and self-control in particular, are not only vital to master real-life situations but also predict long-term academic achievement [13][14][15].…”