Longitudinal study of spatial working memory development in young children.
This study longitudinally compared activity in the frontal cortex during a spatial working memory task between 5-year-old and 7-year-old children using near-infrared spectroscopy. Eight children participated in this study twice, once at 5 years and once at 7 years of age. Behavioral analysis showed that older children performed the working memory task more precisely and more rapidly than younger children. Near-infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that right hemisphere dominance was observed in older children, whereas no hemispheric difference was apparent in younger children. Children with strengthened lateralization showed improved performance from 5 to 7 years. We therefore offer the first demonstration of the developmental changes in frontal cortical activation during spatial working memory tasks during the preschool period.
Tsujii
Takeo
T
Center for Advanced Research on Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. tuji@flet.keio.ac.jp
Yamamoto
Eriko
E
Masuda
Sayako
S
Watanabe
Shigeru
S
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
D010108:Oxyhemoglobins