A study by Assistant Professor Ryuta Kuwamizu and Researcher Kota Otani of ARIHHP, University of Tsukuba, Researcher Nozomi Yamamoto of Osaka University, and Professor Yusuke Moriguchi of Kyoto University has been published in *Communications Psychology* (Nature Portfolio).

The study examined 113 children aged 35–80 months and found that children with higher spontaneous eye-blink rates performed better on an executive function task requiring them to switch between rules. Eye-blink rate was also associated with prefrontal brain activity supporting this function. These findings suggest that spontaneous eye blinking may provide a window into the development of executive function and its underlying brain mechanisms during early childhood.

Executive function in early childhood is an important cognitive skill associated with later academic achievement, social adjustment, and physical and mental health, making it highly relevant to both health and sport sciences. Executive function also supports complex decision-making and behavioral control and is important for sport performance; therefore, understanding how it develops through underlying brain mechanisms has broad significance. Furthermore, the finding that eye blinking—a subtle motor output—is associated with higher-order cognitive function and related brain activity offers an intriguing perspective for understanding the neural links between motor and cognitive systems.

[Article information]
Title: Emergent blink rate in early childhood is associated with neural origins of executive function.
Authors: Kuwamizu, R., Yamamoto, N., Otani, K., & Moriguchi, Y.
Journal: *Communications Psychology, 4*, 126.

Publication Date:September 15, 2026

Journal Article (Communications Psychology)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-026-00524-6