Left OFC Activation in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during an Inhibitory Control Task in an Early Years Sample: Integrating Stress Responses with Cognitive Function and Brain Activation

Introduction: Previous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies using Go/No-Go (GNG) tasks have focused on brain activation in relation to cognitive processes, particularly inhibitory control (IC). The results of these studies commonly describe right hemispheric engagement of the dorsolateral, ventromedial, or inferior frontal regions of the prefrontal cortex. Considering that typical healthy cognitive development is negatively correlated with higher cortisol levels (which may alter brain development), the overarching aim of the current study was to investigate how elevated stress (due to unforeseeable events such as the pandemic) impacts early cognitive development. Method: In this study, we examined fNIRS data collected from a sample of children (aged 2–4 years) during a GNG task relative to the response to stressors measured via hair cortisol concentrations. We acquired data in an ecological setting (Early Childhood Education and Care) during the coronavirus pandemic. Results: We found that children with higher stress levels and a less efficient IC recruited more neural terrain and our group-level analysis indicated activation in the left orbitofrontal area during IC performance. Conclusions: A contextual stressor may disrupt accuracy in the executive function of IC early in development. More research efforts are needed to understand better how an orbitofrontal network subserves goal-directed behavior.