Cited by 794Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsCognitive Abilities and TestingDevelopmental and Educational Neuropsychology

Maturation of White Matter is Associated with the Development of Cognitive Functions during Childhood

Nagy, Zoltan, Westerberg, Helena, Klingberg, Torkel·2004·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Abstract

In the human brain, myelination of axons continues until early adulthood and is thought to be important for the development of cognitive functions during childhood. We used diffusion tensor MR imaging and calculated fractional anisotropy, an indicator of myelination and axonal thickness, in children aged between 8 and 18 years. Development of working memory capacity was positively correlated with fractional anisotropy in two regions in the left frontal lobe, including a region between the superior frontal and parietal cortices. Reading ability, on the other hand, was only correlated with fractional anisotropy in the left temporal lobe, in the same white matter region where adults with reading disability are known to have lower fractional anisotropy. Both the temporal and the frontal regions were also correlated with age. These results show that maturation of white matter is an important part of brain maturation during childhood, and that maturation of relatively restricted regions of white matter is correlated with development of specific cognitive functions.

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Crossref · 10.1162/0898929041920441

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9 of 9 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • There is a positive correlation between maturation of prefrontal-parietal fiber tracts and working memory in children.

    “Nagy and colleagues showed a positive correlation between maturation of prefrontal–parietal fiber tracts and working memory in children (Nagy et al. 2004), which is consistent with functional neuroimaging studies showing differential recruitment of these regions in children relative to adults.”

    From <i>The Adolescent Brain</i> (2008) · cites this paper as Nagy et al. 2004

  • Development and maturation of the white matter correlates with increased motor skills and cognitive functions.

    “Notably, human studies have shown that development and maturation of the white matter correlates with increased motor skills and cognitive functions (Casey et al., 2000; Gibson, 1991; Nagy et al., 2004; Paus et al., 1999; Schmithorst et al., 2005).”
  • DTI studies have demonstrated increasing connectivity among higher-order association areas from childhood to adolescence, with functional consequences.

    “Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have demonstrated increasing connectivity among higher order association areas from childhood to adolescence that have functional consequences.”

    From Developmental Changes in Organization of Structural Brain Networks (2013) · cites this paper as Nagy et al. 2004

  • Increasing prefrontal-parietal connectivity correlates positively with working memory capacity.

    “increasing prefrontal-parietal connectivity was shown to correlate positively with working memory capacity (Nagy et al. 2004)”

    From Developmental Changes in Organization of Structural Brain Networks (2013) · cites this paper as Nagy et al. 2004

  • A study of children and adolescents provides limited evidence that fractional anisotropy variability in left fronto-parietal white matter relates to differences in spatial working memory skills.

    “limited evidence available from a study of children and adolescents suggests that FA variability in fronto-parietal white matter regions of the left hemisphere is associated with variability among children in their SWM skills.”

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Authors
Nagy, Z., Westerberg, H., & Klingberg, T.
Affiliations
  • Karolinska Institute, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
Venue
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Publisher
MIT Press
Published
2004-09-01
Volume
16
Issue
7
Pages
1227-1233
ISSN
  • 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
  • 1530-8898
OpenAlex
W2110742166
Cited by
794
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 74 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 57 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 61 · 2012: 40
FWCI
17.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Vetenskapsrådet
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
Keywords
white matter maturation, myelination, fractional anisotropy, cognitive development, working memory, reading skills, reading disorders, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, brain maturation, childhood
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Aging, Axons, Cerebral Cortex, Child, Cognition, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Functional Laterality, Male, Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Parietal Lobe, Reference Values, Temporal Lobe, Cluster Analysis, Anisotropy, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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