Examination of Executive Functions

Many studies of EFs have been performed with functional neuroimaging techniques. In most of these studies, the cognitive reduction method has been used to infer specific brain regions with EFs. This method is done by comparing the brain areas active in EFs by comparing the performance of individuals in performing an EFs task with those of the control group. By measuring the activation patterns of brain regions in EFs and non-executive tasks, it is believed that the specific activation patterns of executive tasks are indicative of brain regions that are specifically involved in EFs. These studies showed that common areas provide the same measure of several functions related to EFs. In addition, various studies have reported that attentional control measured by the Hayling, Stroop, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Tests is related to increased activity in the DLPFC and the PFC. In the rest of this section, neuroimaging in the field of exploratory research of EFs including planning, WM, response inhibition (RI), CF will be covered in more detail.