Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T19:28:55.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Neuroconstructivism: Evidence for later maturation of prefrontally mediated executive functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 June 2008

Jonathan Foster ,
Anke van Eekelen  and
Eugen Mattes
Jonathan Foster
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027
Anke van Eekelen
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009
Eugen Mattes
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, WA 6008, Australia. [email protected]@[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The authors of this commentary concur with the viewpoint presented by Mareschal et al. (2007a; 2007b) concerning the relevance of neurological data when theorizing about cognitive development. However, we argue here that Mareschal et al. fail to consider adequately the relevance of reorganizational brain events occurring through adolescence and early adulthood, especially regarding the prefrontal cortex and the ontogeny of executive functioning. In addition, evidence from the lifespan neurodevelopmental literature indicates that increased activity of neural networks may signify less efficient processing. This observation is of potential relevance when considering the neurological changes associated with cognitive development during childhood and adolescence.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2008 , pp. 338 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Casey, B. J., Giedd, J. N. & Thomas, K. M. (2000) Structural and functional brain development and its relation to cognitive development. Biological Psychology 54:241–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickerson, B. C., Salat, D. H., Greve, D. N., Chua, E. F., Rand-Giovannetti, E., Rentz, D. M., Bertram, L., Mullin, K., Tanzi, R. E., Blacker, D., Albert, M. S. & Sperling, R. A. (2005) Increased hippocampal activation in mild cognitive impairment compared to normal aging and AD. Neurology 65:404–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foster, J. K. (1997) The “locality assumption”: Lessons from history and neuroscience? Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20:518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenwood, P. M. (2007) Functional plasticity in cognitive aging: Review and hypothesis. Neuropsychology 21:657–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamalainen, A., Pihlajamaki, M., Tanila, H., Hanninen, T., Niskanen, E., Tervo, S., Karjalainen, P. A., Vanninen, R. L. & Soininen, H. (2007) Increased fMRI responses during encoding in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of Aging 28:1889–903.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huttenlocher, P. R. & Dabholkar, A. S. (1997) Regional differences in synaptogenesis in human cerebral cortex. Journal of Comparative Neurology 387:167–78.3.0.CO;2-Z>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luna, B., Garver, K. E., Urban, T. A., Lazar, N. A. & Sweeney, J. A. (2004) Maturation of cognitive processes from late childhood to adulthood. Child Development 75:1357–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luna, B. & Sweeney, J. A. (2004) The emergence of collaborative brain function – fMRI studies of the development of response inhibition. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1021:296–309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mareschal, D., Johnson, M. H., Sirois, S., Spratling, M., Thomas, M. & Westermann, G. (2007a) Neuroconstructivism, vol. I: How the brain constructs cognition. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mareschal, D., Sirois, S., Westermann, G. & Johnson, M. H. (2007b) Neuroconstructivism, vol. II: Perspectives and prospects. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paus, T. (2005) Mapping brain maturation and cognitive development during adolescence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 9:60–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rabbitt, P. (1997) Methodology of frontal and executive function. Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Spear, L. P. (2000) The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 24:417–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed