Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) provides indirect measures of white matter microstructure that can be used to make inferences about structural connectivity within the brain. Over the last decade, a growing literature of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have documented relationships between dMRI indices and cognitive development. In this review, we provide a brief overview of dMRI methods and how they can be used to study white matter and connectivity and review the extant literature examining the links between dMRI indices and executive functions during development. We explore the links between white matter microstructure and specific executive functions: inhibition, working memory and cognitive shifting, as well as performance on complex executive function tasks. Concordance in findings across studies are highlighted, and potential explanations for discrepancies between results, together with challenges with using dMRI in child and adolescent populations, are discussed. Finally, we explore future directions that are necessary to better understand the links between child and adolescent development of structural connectivity of the brain and executive functions.

扩散磁共振成像 (dMRI) 提供白质微观结构的间接测量，可用于推断大脑内的结构连接性。在过去的十年中，越来越多的横断面和纵向研究文献记录了 dMRI 指数与认知发展之间的关系。在这篇综述中，我们简要概述了 dMRI 方法以及如何使用它们来研究白质和连接性，并回顾了现有文献，研究了发育过程中 dMRI 指数与执行功能之间的联系。我们探索白质微观结构与特定执行功能之间的联系：抑制、工作记忆和认知转变，以及复杂执行功能任务的表现。强调了各项研究结果的一致性，并讨论了结果之间差异的潜在解释，以及在儿童和青少年人群中使用 dMRI 的挑战。最后，我们探讨了更好地理解儿童和青少年大脑结构连接发展与执行功能之间联系所必需的未来方向。