# Neurophysiology of cognitive development and response inhibition

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $380,640

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
We will investigate the neural substrates of the maturation of response inhibition between the time of
adolescence and adulthood. Response inhibition is thought to be mediated by the prefrontal cortex, a cortical
area greatly expanded in primates compared to other vertebrates, which undergoes a long maturation process
that mirrors the development of higher cognitive functions after adolescence. A number of mental illnesses
have onsets linked to the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, most notably schizophrenia, which manifests itself
in early adulthood. Executive function also improves in adulthood, and inadequate development of this capacity
is associated with delinquency and other conditions of health and social significance. Little is known about the
physiological changes that the prefrontal cortex undergoes in adolescence so as to mediate improved cognitive
control. Taking advantage of recent methodological and conceptual advances, we propose to investigate the
changes of prefrontal cortical physiology and anatomical connectivity that occur after puberty. We propose to
use a non-human primate model that will allow us to conduct behavioral assessments, neurophysiological
recordings, and MR imaging in the prefrontal cortex of developing animals and controls. Our study will make
use behavioral tasks that test response inhibition. We will rely primarily on the anti-saccade task which requires
subjects to make an eye movement in the opposite direction of a visual stimulus, thus resisting the pre-potent
stimulus. Experiments will record neuronal activity related to task performance to understand what neural
variables maturate after the onset of puberty. These experiments will offer insights on how development of the
prefrontal cortex alters its physiological responses, findings that will be essential for understanding and treating
mental illnesses thought to be associated with a failure of prefrontal cortical maturation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399718
- **Project number:** 7R01MH117996-04
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOS CONSTANTINIDIS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $380,640
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-07-25 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399718

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399718, Neurophysiology of cognitive development and response inhibition (7R01MH117996-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399718. Licensed CC0.

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