Parallel Changes in Cognitive Function and Gray Matter Volume After Multi-Component Training of Cognitive Control (MTCC) in Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence is a unique period in which higher cognition develops to adult-level, while plasticity of neuron and behavior is at one of its peak. Notably, cognitive training studies for adolescents has been sparse and neural correlates of the training effects yet to be established. This study investigated the effects of multi-component training of cognitive control (MTCC) in order to examine whether the training enhanced adolescents’ cognitive control ability and if the effects were generalizable to other cognitive domains. Cognitive control refers to the ability to adjust a series of thoughts and behaviors in correspondence to an internal goal, and involves inhibition, working memory, shifting, and dual tasking as subcomponents. The participants were middle school students (aged 11–14) and randomly assigned to either a training group or an active control group. The training group performed 30 min of MTCC per day for 6 weeks. To identify the training effects, we examined the cognitive performance, regional gray matter, and their relationship. The training group showed modest improvement in a visuospatial fluid intelligence test (Block Design) after MTCC, which was not significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. In addition, the training effect on the gray matter volume (time × group interaction) was observed in the right inferior cortex (rIFC). While the control group showed a typical reduction in the rIFC volume, the training group showed a relative increase in the homologous region. The relative change in rIFC volume was associated with the change in Stroop performance. These results imply that MTCC may affect brain structure relevant to inhibitory control process.

Structural atrophy of the right superior frontal gyrus in adolescents with severe irritability

“…We conducted group difference of CT and LGI between youths with severe irritability and healthy youths using age, sex, and IQ as covariates. The threshold of the statistical parametric map was at uncorrected p < .001 at a cluster extent of >50 voxels (Lee, Kwak, & Chey, 2019). Atlas labeling was performed according to Destrieux atlas (Destrieux, Fischl, Dale, & Halgren, 2010).…”

Changes in affective control covary with changes in mental health difficulties following affective control training (AffeCT) in adolescents

“…The age-related differences in training gains observed in the present study support training-induced functional changes and possibly structural plasticity of the neural substrates of affective control throughout adolescence. However, examinations of training-induced functional or structural brain changes in typically developing adolescents are scarce ( Lee, Kwak, & Chey, 2019 ). Examining training-induced neural changes will be important to determine potentially sensitive periods for training ( Frankenhuis & Walasek, 2020 ).…”

Cholinergic-estrogen interaction underpins the effect of education on attenuating cognitive sex differences in a Thai healthy population

“…A longer duration of education resulted in increased cortical thickness in bilateral temporal, parietal, medial-frontal, sensory, and motor cortices in the adult brains (38). In addition, after six weeks of multi-component cognitive control training, adolescents showed increased gray matter volume in the right inferior frontal cortex (rlFC) (39). According to recent neuroimaging research, the frontoparietal region underpins WCST performance (40), and the frontal cortex is involved in attention, working memory, and set-shifting within this network (40, 41).…”

“…In addition, after six weeks of multi-component cognitive control training, adolescents showed increased gray matter volume in the right inferior frontal cortex (rlFC) (39).…”