Title: Neural Correlates of Inhibitory Control in Children: Evidence Using MRI and fNIRS
Legend: Upper Left – 28 children aged 4–10 years completed go/no-go and flanker tasks to measure inhibitory control (IC) via reaction times. Lower Left – Task-related brain activation was measured using fNIRS. Myelin content in core white matter regions was assessed using R1 values calculated using the MPnRAGE T1 Relaxometry sequence. Right – Frontal brain activation (fNIRS) was positively associated with go/no-go mean reaction time (i.e., greater activation linked with slower responses). Myelination (measured via R1 mapping) in the corona radiata and superior longitudinal fasciculus was: Positively associated with frontal fNIRS activation. Negatively associated with reaction times in both go/no-go and flanker tasks (i.e., greater myelination linked with faster responses).
Citation: Shah, L., Zhou, X., DiPiero, M. A., Weaver, J. M., Frye, C., Kecskemeti, S. R., Litovsky, R. Y., Alexander, A. L., Planalp, E. M., & Dean, D. C., 3rd (2025). Neural Correlates of Inhibitory Control in Children: Evidence Using MRI and fNIRS. Brain topography, 38(5), 54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-025-01129-8
Abstract: Inhibitory control (IC) develops in stages from infancy through adolescence and is associated with numerous developmental disorders and learning outcomes. This study examined how neural architecture – in particular myelination – underlies brain activation patterns observed during IC tasks in a sample of 28 children aged 4-10 years old. IC was observed using reaction times during go/no-go and flanker IC tasks. Myelination was measured using quantitative longitudinal relaxation rate (R1) mapping obtained from selected white matter regions of interest (ROIs). Brain activation was defined as task-related changes in hemoglobin oxygenation as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) averaged within ROIs. Results indicated that myelination in ROIs was higher in older children and fNIRS activation in frontal channels was significantly and positively associated with go/no-go mean reaction time. Myelination in the corona radiata and superior longitudinal fasciculus was positively associated with frontal fNIRS activation, while myelination was negatively associated with go/no-go and flanker mean reaction times across white matter ROIs. Overall, significance level notably varied across models. Independently of inhibitory control constructs, these regions may be of interest in future structure-function studies across development.
Investigator: Doug Dean III, PhD
About the Lab: About the Lab: Doug’s research in the Developing Brain Imaging Lab, focuses on the development and application of novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to measure and evaluate the brain structure throughout early neurodevelopment and aging. He is particularly experienced in pediatric imaging, scanning more than 800 infants and young children (3 months to 12 years) during his graduate work. His current research is focused on examining how the white matter microstructure of the brain develops across the early development and how these microstructural processes are related to changes in cognition and behavior.