Explaining the Neuroscience of Executive Function
Executive Functioning is a bundle of cognitive abilities that is housed in the frontal lobe
of the brain. Think of it as the brain boss, and when it is at work can make a huge difference in your child’s performance not just in school, but in all areas of their life.
10 Executive Functioning (EF) Skills
Working Memory is the ability to hold and work with the information in your mind while completing tasks such as following directions, problem solving, or learning new things.
Organization is the ability to structure, arrange and categorize information to achieve your goals efficiently. This involves creating and following plans and maintaining order in both physical and mental spaces.
Time Management skills help us set realistic goals, estimate the time required for different tasks, organize a schedule, and adhere to it while adjusting as needed. Good time management also includes the ability to resist procrastination, stay focused on tasks, and meet deadlines.
Getting Started is the internal drive to take that initial step towards completing a task. It is the ability to sit down and start writing a report without needing someone to tell you to begin.
Focus and Follow-Through refers to the ability to maintain attention on a task or goal despite distractions and to see it through to completion.
Planning and Prioritizing is the ability to organize tasks in a logical order and determine which tasks are most important or urgent. This cognitive skill involves setting goals, breaking them down into manageable steps, and determining the sequence of actions required to achieve those goals.
Impulsivity describes our ability to control our immediate reactions. Individuals with strong executive function in this area can resist impulsive behaviors with consideration to consequences, think before acting, and make reasoned decisions based on long-term goals rather than immediate desires.
Flexible Thinking is the cognitive ability to adapt to changing circumstances, switch between tasks or mental sets, and generate alternative strategies or solutions when faced with challenges. It is also known as mental flexibility or shift.
Emotional Control is being able to recognize and understand one's emotions, tolerate frustration, and adaptively respond to emotional triggers. Emotional control allows us to maintain composure, make rational decisions, and navigate social interactions effectively, even in challenging or stressful situations.
Self-Awareness this is how attuned you are to your own thoughts, emotions, strengths, and challenges. Self-awareness allows individuals to monitor their thoughts and actions, make adjustments as needed
The Science of Executive Functioning
Executive function involves a complex network of brain regions, primarily centered in the prefrontal cortex, which orchestrates high-level cognitive processes. Executive dysfunction happens for a variety of reasons including brain injury, damage to neurotransmitter structures, toxic exposure, and trauma. According to a 2008 study by Friedman et al., executive function is a heritable trait. This means that EF has a genetic component that is frequently passed on to the next generation.
Here’s a breakdown of what happens in the brain.
Executive dysfunction primarily affects the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for receiving sensory and emotional input. This part of the brain coordinates responses with other brain areas that help us form strategies and evaluate outcomes. The basal ganglia also play a crucial role in executive functioning, assisting with habit formation and reward processing.
While executive functions have traditionally been linked to frontal lobe activity, recent evidence indicates that posterior and subcortical regions also work to integrate sensory information that can affect EF skills.
Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that plays a role in executive functioning as it is part of many operations including attention, mood, set shifting, and memory. Norepinephrine is another neurotransmitter that runs up and down the spine and into the brain and acts as a modulator for higher cognitive processes such as attention, flexibility, and working memory to name a few.
How to Improve Executive Function
There are medications that may assist with increasing executive functioning. Some are classified as stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse, while others are non-stimulants such as guanfacine (ER) and Strattera. These medications work to increase the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, block the reuptake, or facilitate its release.
Engaging in activities that promote executive function, such as problem-solving tasks, strategic games, or mindfulness practices, strengthens the neural pathways associated with EF skills. This is made possible by “neuroplasticity” or the brain’s ability to adapt to new situations and challenges. It tells us that your child’s executive functioning can improve with time and practice.
Medication, along with specialized training can work to increase your child’s path to success and give them the confidence to take on life’s challenges.
Do you want to learn more about executive functioning to give your child a greater chance to succeed in life? Habit Coach can help! Please reach out to one of our coaches and we will help you explore practical strategies to develop your child’s executive functioning skills.
