Prefrontal Cortex Development into Adulthood

    The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is a region of the Frontal Lobe imperative for higher order cognitive skills such as language, executive processing, emotional control, and stress management. While research shows the PFC develops rapidly from an early age, it is also believed to be the last brain region to reach a full maturity level. PFC development plays an important role in human cognitive function and development for the first few decades of life, and can tell us important information about adolescents as well as young adults.

    Dr. Martha Ann Bell spoke to our class about her research on the PFC in preschool age children and its role in their academic successes. But how does this development continue to impact children past the preschool age? Kolk and Rakic's 2022 research on the Development of the prefrontal Cortex tells us that the development of the PFC continues to have great impacts well into our 20s. Dr. Bell's research highlights the significant role early childhood PFC development has on intellectual development, but Kolk and Rakic's research shows that higher order cognitive functions like intelligence continue to develop into adulthood.

    Both papers show that the development of the PFC is a critical window in neurological development, but the importance of PFC development is forgotten about and ignored after a certain age. There are countless things done to support the development of young minds before a certain age, but what is being done to support this development into our late teens and early twenties? At this point in life adolescents are treated at fully developed adults, which in many ways they are, but without fully developed PFCs are young adults truly capable of handling things like stress and emotions at a fully developed level? Research like Dr. Bell's shows the importance of supporting young children's intellectual and emotional development, but since this development continues so far past early childhood, so should the support.

    Kolk and Rakic's research shows the risk factors throughout PFC development that may cause Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). While most people know the risk factors in early childhood, the PFC continues to develop well past this age and the risk factors continue to exist. PFC development is incredibly important and we should be doing everything we can to promote normal PFC development throughout its entire development to avoid NDDs. We know neurological development is incredibly important, but many people don't know just how long it continues to be important.

Sources:

Whedon, M. Perry, N. B., & Bell, M. A. (2020). Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitroy control in preschool on the prediction of children's early academic skills. Brain and Cognition, 146, 105636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105636

Kolk, S. M., Rakic, P. (2022). Development of prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychopharmacol. 47, 41-57. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01137-9