Thesis supervisor: Ilona Kovács
Location of studies (in Hungarian): SE Abbreviation of location of studies: SE
Description of the research topic:
Maturation of human brain networks is complemented with the specification of skills and
behavioural changes. The adolescent brain continues to mature well into the 20s, with neural
circuitry underlying executive functions among the last to mature; on the other hand, there is no
consensus on the developmental pace of different cognitive functions, emotional development, and
the development of clinically relevant personality characteristics because of the extremely large
individual variability. The lack of consensus is caused by the large variability in the onset time of
puberty and in the underlying neuroendocrine changes.
The main objective of this doctoral thesis topic is to dissociate biological age (BA) and
chronological age (CA), and to investigate their role independently in adolescent cognitive,
emotional and personality development, and in the development of large-scale functional cortical
networks. We assess biological maturity of a large sample of participants by the computerized
estimation of their bone age (with the help of an ultrasound based equipment) and select a sample of
participants whose BA is equivalent, but their CA varies, and vice versa.
This allows us to investigate maturity and experience independently, related to any developmental
event. On the selected cohorts of adolescents behavioural and electrophysiological assessments are
carried out to determine the contribution of maturation versus experience to their development.
Among the behavioural measures, we look at mental age, emotional and personality development,
inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and procedural learning capacity. Electrophysiological
measures of restructuring cortical networks include resting-state HD-EEG measurements in order to
map the changes in the default mode network of the brain.
In terms of the translational power of our future findings, there is a wide range of potential societal
applications. The first and perhaps most relevant is that our method can provide a tool to define an
individual’s sensitive periods with respect to a variety of external inputs, thereby suggesting the
proper timing for training in a certain skill. This might be useful not only in adjusting teaching
material to the individual’s actual needs, but also in selecting talented individuals for the training of
particular skills in science, music or sports. The second and also very important aspect is related to
the vulnerability of the brain during these sensitive periods. A number of psychiatric conditions,
Semmelweis Egyetem
Doktori Iskola
5
such as schizophrenia, have been linked to the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and by
defining the sensitive periods better, we might be able to contribute to the understanding and
treatment of these conditions.
Within the Hungarian and international research arena, our project will be the first to clearly
dissociate biological and experience-dependent factors in human adolescent development, and it has
the potential to “rewrite” this chapter of developmental cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
This project is carried out by the MTA-PPKE Adolescent Research Group. Selection of publications
in this research topic by the team:
• Ilona, Kovács ; Kristóf, Kovács ; Katinka, Utczás ; Zsófia, Trózner ; Gyöngyi, Oláh ; Ferenc, Gombos: A
teen’s IQ: determined by both biological and chronological age. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES 157 p. 1 , 1 p. (2020)
• Utczás, Katinka ; Tróznai, Zsófia ; Gerván, Patrícia ; Gombos, Ferenc ; Kovács, Ilona: Coming of age –
biological versus chronological. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 157 pp. 25-25. ,
1 p. (2020)
• Ilona, Kovács: BETA: Biological and Experience-based Trajectories in Adolescent brain development.
In: Hungarian, Neuroscience Society (szerk.) 16th Annual Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience
Society, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen Debrecen, Magyarország : Hungarian Academy of
Sciences, Hungarian Neuroscience Society, (2019) p. 16 , 1 p.
• Gerván, Patrícia ; Soltész, Péter ; Filep, Orsolya ; Berencsi, Andrea ; Kovács, Ilona. Posterior–Anterior
Brain Maturation Reflected in Perceptual, Motor and Cognitive Performance. FRONTIERS IN
PSYCHOLOGY 8 Paper: 674 , 10 p. (2017)
• P, Gervan ; A, Berencsi ; I, Kovacs: Vision First? The Development of Primary Visual Cortical Networks
Is More Rapid Than the Development of Primary Motor Networks in Humans. PLOS ONE 6 : 9 Paper:
e25572 , 9 p. (2011)
• Kovacs I: Human development of perceptual organization. VISION RESEARCH 40:(10-12) pp. 1301-
1310. (2000)
• I Kovács, P Kozma, Á Fehér, G Benedek: Late maturation of visual spatial integration in humans.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA 96: (21) pp. 12204-12209. (1999)