After the age of five or six, Moriguchi of the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, found that the COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) gene affects the ability of children to control behaviors and thoughts called self-control and executive function. The research group of Associate Professor Yusuke and Senior Researcher Ikuko Shinohara of the National Institute for Educational Policy Research has identified it.
According to Kyoto University, executive function is the ability that underlies human self-control, enduring desires and switching heads. There are two types of COMT genes, Val / Val type and Met type, and it has been found that the function of the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is deeply related to executive function, differs depending on the type.
The research group analyzed the genes of 3 children aged 6 to 81 years and investigated which type each of them fits into the classification based on individual differences in genes.Furthermore, the activity of the lateral prefrontal cortex that gave the task was measured by a method called near-infrared spectroscopy.
As a result, no genetic effects were observed in children aged 3 to 4 years, whereas in children aged 5 to 6 years, Val / Val type had higher cognitive flexibility than Met type and actively performed the lateral prefrontal cortex. I found out that I was active.
The research group believes that gene function affects executive function in late early childhood, indicating that its neural basis is in the lateral prefrontal cortex.It is said that it is a result that not only understands how executive function develops in the future, but also leads to developmental support considering genetic qualities.
Paper information:[Developmental Science] Effect of the COMT Val158Met genotype on lateral prefrontal activations in young children
