Which of the following statements about the development of the cortex across the life span is true?
A) The cortex starts to thicken in childhood and adolescence, and continues to thicken as we age.
B) People with dementias lose intellectual functioning because of a process called "pruning."
C) Teenagers typically have more neural connections than elementary school children.
D) Changes in cortical thickness are most pronounced in the prefrontal cortex.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that changes in cortical thickness are most pronounced in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as decision making, planning, and working memory. The process of "pruning" actually refers to the elimination of unused or unnecessary neural connections, and typically occurs during childhood and adolescence. While teenagers do have more neural connections than elementary school children, this is due to the ongoing process of synaptic pruning rather than the development of new connections. Finally, while the cortex does start to thicken in childhood and adolescence, it typically begins to thin out in adulthood and old age due to the loss of neurons and neural connections.

Which of the Following Statements About the Development of the Cortex