Changes in cerebral functional organization during cognitive development

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2005 Apr;15(2):239-44. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2005.03.012.

Abstract

It has been just under a decade since contemporary neuroimaging tools, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, were first applied to developmental questions. These tools provide invaluable information on how brain anatomy, function and connectivity change during development. Studies using these methods with children and adolescents show that brain regions that support motor and sensory function mature earliest, whereas higher-order association areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, which integrate these functions, mature later.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cerebral Cortex / growth & development*
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Nerve Net / growth & development*
  • Nerve Net / physiology*