Predicting the future - new concepts in brain flexibility

Executive function in pre-school aged children has been shown to be a strong predictor of future academic achievement. Therefore, the ability to characterize the maturation/developmental processes of executive function during early brain development could be of paramount importance in cultivating strategies to enhance executive function. Although the major components of executive function emerge around 3 years of age, the attention system develops earlier and has been strongly advocated as a prerequisite for proper development of executive function. It is, therefore, not surprising that associations between the maturation of the attention system in early infancy and subsequent performance in executive function have been widely reported.