# The neurodevelopmental mechanisms linkingenvironmental experience and executive function

> **NIH NIH K99** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $128,007

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with executive function (EF) and prefrontal cortex (PFC)
development. However, understanding of the specific aspects of SES that influence development of EF and
the PFC remains limited. EF in early childhood is associated with initial school readiness, academic success,
and a wide range of outcomes in adulthood. Determining how early environmental experiences shape EF
development is critical to identify strategies to support the development of these skills to promote healthy
outcomes across the life span. Accelerated progress in this effort can be made only when intervention
development is informed by a principled and biologically plausible understanding of the developmental
mechanisms by which environmental experience shapes the development of the PFC and associated EF. This
proposal argues that cognitive stimulation that occurs in the context of caregiver interactions supports
development of connectivity between the ventral visual stream (VVS) and the PFC, which lays the groundwork
for the complex computations necessary for EF. The proposal will test both environmental (cognitive
stimulation) and neurodevelopmental (VVS-PFC connectivity) mechanisms explaining SES-related differences
in EF and academic achievement. Study 1 (K99 phase) uses innovative observational methods to assess the
home environment of school-attending children aged 6-7 years, cognitive and academic assessments, and
functional and structural MRI to examine whether cognitive stimulation is an environmental mechanism
explaining SES-related differences in EF (Aim 1). Study 1 will also evaluate whether early cognitive stimulation
mediates SES-related differences in structure, function, and connectivity between the VVS and PFC (Aim 2).
Study 2 (R00 phase) is a longitudinal study of children 4-5 years (Time 1) followed as they make the important
transition to school (Time 2). This study will evaluate whether structure and function of the VVS early in
development precedes and predicts structure and function of the PFC (Aim 3) using multimodal neuroimaging
techniques (functional near infrared spectroscopy, functional and structural MRI). Finally, Study 2 will test
whether cognitive stimulation explains SES-related differences in VVS and PFC structure and function and
individual differences in EF, and evaluate whether these pathways ultimately explain disparities in academic
achievement (Aim 4). The results of these studies will provide insight into the environmental and neural
mechanisms explaining SES-related differences in EF and academic achievement. These studies have the
potential to inform interventions to help close the income-achievement gap. This award will provide the
candidate, who has a strong background in cognitive neuroscience in adults, with training in developmental
methods and developmental cognitive neuroscience to facilitate her transition to an independent research
career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144490
- **Project number:** 5K99HD099203-02
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Maya Rosen
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $128,007
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-13 → 2022-08-17

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144490, The neurodevelopmental mechanisms linkingenvironmental experience and executive function (5K99HD099203-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144490. Licensed CC0.

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