brain plasticity: develops modules of control in kids (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, May 26, 2017, 15:05 (2739 days ago) @ David Turell

A study of adolescents shows development of controls throughout the brain, not just the frontal cortex:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/networks-form-as-brains-develop

"As children grow up – moving through adolescence and into young adulthood – their ability to control their impulses, stay organised and make decisions improves dramatically.

"According to a new study published in Current Biology, those improvements result from the development of distinct networks within the brain.

"In adolescence the brain networks become increasingly divided into distinct parts, called modules. Modules are parts of a network that are tightly connected to each other, and less connected to other parts of the network. The new evidence shows that the degree to which executive function develops during this period in part depends on the degree to which these modules are present.

"Researcher Graham Baum says the results show the brain uses “specialized units that can work together to support advanced cognitive abilities'”.

Full story: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)30496-7

Summary: "The human brain is organized into large-scale functional modules that have been shown to evolve in childhood and adolescence. However, it remains unknown whether the underlying white matter architecture is similarly refined during development, potentially allowing for improvements in executive function. In a sample of 882 participants (ages 8–22) who underwent diffusion imaging as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, we demonstrate that structural network modules become more segregated with age, with weaker connections between modules and stronger connections within modules. Evolving modular topology facilitates global network efficiency and is driven by age-related strengthening of hub edges present both within and between modules. Critically, both modular segregation and network efficiency are associated with enhanced executive performance and mediate the improvement of executive functioning with age. Together, results delineate a process of structural network maturation that supports executive function in youth."

Comment: This study shows the intimate interconnection of our developing 'self' and how our brain changes to accommodate the integration of experience and responses. These changes are automatic bot also cooperative as personality develops. We do develop ourselves. Consciousness and personality are immaterial, but based on the plasticity of the brain to fully develop and experience.