About:

“This symposium follows the full developmental arc of executive functions, tracing how they emerge in infancy, expand in childhood, and transform through adolescence. Drawing on longitudinal neuroimaging, large-scale datasets, computational modeling, and cross-species studies, our speakers will explore the neural origins of inhibitory control, trial-to-trial variability as a marker of cognitive stability and pathology, and how evidence accumulation supports goal-directed behavior. We’ll also examine how genetic, synaptic, and circuit changes during adolescence shape decision-making in humans and other primates. Together, these perspectives paint a rich, integrative picture of how the developing brain adapts to meet the growing demands of efficient and flexible cognition.” - Dr. Fandakova

Chairs:

Yana Fandakova, PhD

Ashley Parr, PhD

Speakers:

Abigail Fiske, DPhil

Christian Tamnes, PhD

Alexander Weigard, PhD

Kevin Mastro, PhD

The session will feature four distinguished researchers covering diverse aspects of cognitive and neural development. Abigail Fiske, DPhil (Lancaster University) will discuss inhibitory control development from infancy, exploring neural correlates and behavioral trajectories into early childhood. Christian Tamnes, PhD (University of Oslo) will focus on reaction time variability as a key marker of neurocognitive development and attention problems. Alexander Weigard, PhD (University of Michigan) will present on the efficiency of evidence accumulation, framing it as a computationally specified neurodevelopmental underpinning of task-general executive functioning. Kevin Mastro, PhD (Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School) will share insights on tracking neural and cognitive trajectories across the lifespan in both mouse and marmoset models.