Presence or absence of a prefrontal sulcus is linked to reasoning performance during child development

The relationship between structural variability in late-developing association cortices like the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and the development of higher-order cognitive skills is not well understood. Recent findings show that the morphology of LPFC sulci predicts reasoning performance; this work led to the observation of substantial individual variability in the morphology of one of these sulci, the para-intermediate frontal sulcus (pimfs). Here, we sought to characterize this variability and assess its behavioral significance. To this end, we identified the pimfs in a developmental cohort of 72 participants, ages 6-18. Subsequent analyses revealed that the presence or absence of the ventral component of the pimfs was associated with reasoning, even when controlling for age. This finding shows that the cortex lining the banks of sulci can support the development of complex cognitive abilities and highlights the importance of considering individual differences in local morphology when exploring the neurodevelopmental basis of cognition.

Automated summary

The relationship between structural variability in late-developing association cortices and the development of higher-order cognitive skills is not well understood. This study found that the morphology of the lateral prefrontal cortex sulci predicts reasoning performance, specifically the morphology of the para-intermediate frontal sulcus. The presence or absence of the ventral component of this sulcus was associated with reasoning abilities, highlighting the importance of considering individual differences in local morphology when exploring the neurodevelopmental basis of cognition.