Executive function is the mechanism by which our brains manage and prioritize our thoughts, working memory, emotions and actions; Harvard researchers call it our brain’s air traffic control system.

Your working memory, cognitive flexibility, and self-regulation are core components of executive function (EF), an interrelated set of mental skills that lay the foundation for advanced cognitive ...

Objective To evaluate systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of exercise on general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations and ages. Methods ...

Executive function describes a set of cognitive processes and mental skills that help an individual plan, monitor, and successfully execute their goals. The “executive functions,” as they’re known, ...

At what age does an adolescent start thinking as an adult? A new study published this week in Nature Communications presents some of the first definitive evidence that executive function - a set of ...

Executive function — the term for critical mental skills like organization, focus, time management and emotional regulation — help all of us navigate our daily lives. People with ADHD are much more ...

Principal Ian Knox’s thoughtful opinion essay, “Kindergartners Are Struggling With Self-Regulation. How Principals Can Respond ” (July 8, 2025), centers on steps school leaders can take to respond ...

Many people are plagued by executive functioning issues. It is not uncommon. Such problems can grind away at self-esteem and the confidence of being an agent in your own life. Simply put, executive ...

Our current brain structures have been with us for at least 35,000 years. But today’s work environment, filled with the pinging, whooshing, grabbing, greedy solicitations of digital media, is unlike ...