Schedule of Events | Symposia

Inhibition-related executive functioning in children during the Go/NoGo task: a fMRI study

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Dania Javaid¹ (djavaid2@huskers.unl.edu), Danya Alderoubi², Yingying Wang³; ¹Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA, ²Department of Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA, ³Neuroimaging for Language, Literacy and Learning, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

Executive functioning, particularly inhibition, plays a critical role in cognitive development and behavioral regulation. This study examined the inhibition-related executive functioning in children using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and its relationship with phonological awareness. Specifically, we hypothesized that children with greater phonological awareness would have stronger inhibition-related executive functioning. This study included 33 children (mean age: 7.01 years, 14 boys, all right-handed). A block design Go/NoGo task was used to assess inhibitory control. Phonological awareness (PA) was evaluated using the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT-III) subtest. The fMRI protocol included 322 volumes (TR=1s), with blocks alternating between resting, Go-only, and Go/NoGo conditions. Preprocessing was conducted using SPM12, including motion correction, coregistration, normalization, and smoothing (Gaussian kernel with Full Width at half maximum (FWHM) = 6 mm). Second-level analyses revealed four significant clusters after Family-Wise Error correction (p < 0.05), including bilateral occipital poles, the right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG), and the right middle temporal gyrus (rMTG). Participants were categorized into low PA (raw score < 30, N=17) and high PA (raw score ≥ 30, N=16) groups. A two-sample t-test (p < 0.001 uncorrected) revealed stronger left hippocampal activation in the high PA group, whereas the low PA group exhibited greater activation in the right superior frontal gyrus (rSFG). These findings suggest distinct neural mechanisms underpinning inhibition and phonological awareness, with implications for understanding how executive functioning supports early literacy development. Interventions targeting PA and executive functioning may enhance cognitive and behavioral outcomes in young children.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Monitoring & inhibitory control