Cognitive control and motivational systems in developmental neurobiology

Cognitive control is an executive process which can be vital to the maintenance and monitoring of long term goal oriented behavior. In the past, the development of cognitive control has been explained as a growth from infancy to adulthood. The role of context on cognitive control impacts one’s  behavioral regulation abilities, for example in a stressful context one may experience diminished control.  Recent studies suggest that cognitive control capacity is impacted by specific periods of development whereby one is more susceptible to incentive based modulation.

When examining studies on cognitive control performed in a controlled laboratory settings, we see a relatively stable improvement in cognitive control capacity from infants progressing to adults. However, outside of the laboratory setting, this is often not the case. This is particularly true for adolescence, who experience a reduced capacity for cognitive control when exposure to potentially risky behavior is at its peak. These fluctuations in behavior give evidence of dynamic maturation of the brain mechanisms responsible for motivation and cognitive processes. Two areas of the brain are highlighted for their importance in cognitive and motivational processes: the prefrontal cortex (essential for cognitive control) and the striatum (important for identifying interesting cues in an environment).

Examining the role of motivational modulation of cognitive control across development

Recently, research on the development of adolescences has focused on comparing cognitive capacity in neutral settings as opposed to motivational contexts. This research has implied that there exists a unique influence of motivation on cognition during the adolescent period, and that sensitivity to environmental cues (in particular incentive cues) changes at various points in development.

The behavior of adolescents has been shown to be differentially biased in motivational contexts. Studies have shown that motivational cues of potential reward are especially salient and potentially lead to the engagement in risky behavior and the further weakening of goal-orientated behavior. 

Corticosubcortical control and its developmental neurobiology

This has led to the development of a neurobiological model of motivational and cognitive processes which aims to explain the behavior of adolescents outside of a laboratory context. Working with this model leads to the suggestion linear development of top down prefrontal regions relative to a n-shaped function for the development of bottom-up striatal regions involved in detecting particularly interesting cues in the environment.

The findings of Pasupathy and Miller indicate that the interactions between brain areas (especially within frontostriatal circuitry) is essential in the development of a model of motivational and cognitive control. Further studies have highlighted the important role of signaling inside corticostriatal circuitry for supporting the capacity to employ effective cognitive control. Further evidence for the theory that cognitive maturation occurs in the connectivity of structures rather than in unitary structures was found by examining the interactions between a frontoparietal network and cingulate-lateral prefrontal network. Works by Ernst, Galvan, Luna and Crone have been seminal in response to incentives, striatal responses follow an inverted U function across development. In contexts where a reward or incentive is present, the effect on cognitive control behavior is greater in adolescents than in adults.  

Conclusion

Studies in cognitive and motivational processes are experiencing a bountiful period by focusing on adolescent development. Findings suggest that depending on whether a situation calls for suppression or attention to motivational cues, the cognitive control of adolescents can improve or diminish.