Infant neural and behavioral predictors of preschool executive function.

• In Event: 1-053 - An integrative approach to understanding executive function development in young children.

Integrative Statement

The development of executive functions (EF) begins in infancy, with rudimentary manipulation of information and inhibition of dominant responses measureable in the first year of life (Diamond, 2006). There is some evidence that early EF abilities are associated with EF skills later in childhood, but EF is considered fluid during infancy and toddlerhood and few studies show consistent effects extending through multiple developmental stages (e.g. Hendry et al., 2018; Wolfe & Bell, 2007). However, there is mounting evidence that function of the prefrontal cortex during infancy is a predictor of later EF (Kraybill & Bell, 2012) and that EF task related changes in EEG are a measure of cognitive function in infancy (Bell, 2001). By preschool EF has begun to stabilize, the construct is more solidly defined, and it is easier to reliably measure using tasks similar to those used in adults (Garon, Bryson, & Smith, 2008). The current study examines infant behavior during an EF task and the neural patterns associated with the task as individual predictors of preschool EF performance.

At 10 months old, infants participated in a laboratory visit as part of a larger, ongoing research study. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during a 1 minute baseline while the infant watched balls spin in a toy. The infant then completed the looking version of the A-not-B task (Bell & Adams, 1999). EEG power from frontal electrodes F7 and F8 was computed and the task value was subtracted from the baseline value to create a change score. At 48 months children and parents returned to complete a battery of executive function tasks, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), and a general information questionnaire that asked the mother’s highest level of education. Three executive function tasks were standardized, averaged, and standardized again to create a composite score.

A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that, controlling for concurrent verbal IQ and maternal education, infant EEG power at the right frontal electrode change from baseline to task significantly predicted preschool EF. A large negative change score signifies more power at the electrode during task compared to baseline, suggesting that infants who recruited more frontal power during at EF task in infancy had better EF abilities at age 4. A second step to the regression analysis revealed that adding behavioral performance on infant EF task to the model did not improve the fit of the model.

Performance on an EF task during infancy did not predict preschool EF performance, but the function of the prefrontal cortex, as measured by the change from baseline to task, did predict later EF. These results reinforce the importance of using multiple methods to understand the development of EF over substantial developmental changes. While behavior during an early EF task is not associated with future EF performance, the neural processes underlying EF abilities in infancy are important for EF development. This suggests that the ability to recruit prefrontal cortex to engage in an EF task during infancy may set the stage for the future development of EF.

Authors

• Alleyne Broomell, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author

• Martha Ann Bell, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author