Cognition without control: When a little frontal lobe goes a long way.
The prefrontal cortex is crucial for the ability to regulate thought and control behavior. The development of the human cerebral cortex is characterized by an extended period of maturation during which young children exhibit marked deficits in cognitive control. We contend that prolonged prefrontal immaturity is, on balance, advantageous and that the positive consequences of this developmental trajectory outweigh the negative. Particularly, we argue that cognitive control impedes convention learning, and that delayed prefrontal maturation is a necessary adaptation for human learning of social and linguistic conventions. We conclude with a discussion of recent observations that are relevant to this claim of evolutionary tradeoffs in a wide-range of research areas, including attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder, autism spectrum disorders, creativity, and sleep.
Thompson-Schill
Sharon L
SL
University of Pennsylvania.
Ramscar
Michael
M
Chrysikou
Evangelia G
EG
Science. 1986 Apr 11;232(4747):232-5
3952506
Neuroimage. 2002 Aug;16(4):1038-51
12202091
Dev Sci. 2007 May;10(3):288-97
17444970
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1996 Oct 29;351(1346):1483-93; discussion 1494
8941960
Sleep. 2001 Feb 1;24(1):118-26
11204047
Cogn Sci. 2007 Nov 12;31(6):927-60
21635323
Brain. 2005 Dec;128(Pt 12):2882-90
15975944
Nature. 2006 Mar 30;440(7084):676-9
16572172
Science. 1986 Feb 21;231(4740):840-3
3945811
J Neurosci. 2000 Mar 15;20(6):RC64
10704518
Brain. 1997 Jul;120 ( Pt 7):1173-97
9236630
Cogn Psychol. 2004 Dec;49(4):370-407
15342259
Psychon Bull Rev. 2000 Dec;7(4):707-12
11206213
J Comp Neurol. 1997 Oct 20;387(2):167-78
9336221
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Dec 4;104(49):19649-54
18024590
Brain Res. 2006 Sep 19;1110(1):166-74
16879809
Dev Psychobiol. 1989 Apr;22(3):271-94
2707496
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 1;104(18):7723-8
17449637
Psychophysiology. 1999 Jan;36(1):95-104
10098384