Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28439231›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2017

Informing the Structure of Executive Function in Children: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Data.

Róisín McKenna, T Rushe, Kate A Woodcock

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. [Formula: see text] Data-driven profiles of behavior in pediatric medical disorders.Child neuropsychology : a journal on normal and abnormal development in childhood and adolescence · 2026
    Article
  10. Prenatal Adversity and Neonatal Brain Connectivity Relate to Emerging Executive Function at Age 2 Years.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2026
    Article
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  12. A diffusion model analysis of task set inertia and task set reconfiguration in ADHD.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS · 2026
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1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Róisín McKennaSchool of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland.
T RusheSchool of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland.
Kate A WoodcockSchool of Psychology, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Northern Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The structure of executive function (EF) has been the focus of much debate for decades. What is more, the complexity and diversity provided by the developmental period only adds to this contention. The development of executive function plays an integral part in the expression of children's behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities. Understanding how these processes are constructed during development allows for effective measurement of EF in this population. This meta-analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the structure of executive function in children. A coordinate-based meta-analysis was conducted (using BrainMap GingerALE 2.3), which incorporated studies administering functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during inhibition, switching, and working memory updating tasks in typical children (aged 6-18 years). The neural activation common across all executive tasks was compared to that shared by tasks pertaining only to inhibition, switching or updating, which are commonly considered to be fundamental executive processes. Results support the existence of partially separable but partially overlapping inhibition, switching, and updating executive processes at a neural level, in children over 6 years. Further, the shared neural activation across all tasks (associated with a proposed "unitary" component of executive function) overlapped to different degrees with the activation associated with each individual executive process. These findings provide evidence to support the suggestion that one of the most influential structural models of executive functioning in adults can also be applied to children of this age. However, the findings also call for careful consideration and measurement of both specific executive processes, and unitary executive function in this population. Furthermore, a need is highlighted for a new systematic developmental model, which captures the integrative nature of executive function in children.

Indexed as

ALE meta-analysischildrencognitive controlexecutive functionfMRIinhibitionswitchingupdating

Identifiers

PMID28439231
PMCPMC5383671

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.