Development of structure-function coupling in human brain networks during youth.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 117(1): 771-778, 2020 01 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31874926
ABSTRACT
The protracted development of structural and functional brain connectivity within distributed association networks coincides with improvements in higher-order cognitive processes such as executive function. However, it remains unclear how white-matter architecture develops during youth to directly support coordinated neural activity. Here, we characterize the development of structure-function coupling using diffusion-weighted imaging and n-back functional MRI data in a sample of 727 individuals (ages 8 to 23 y). We found that spatial variability in structure-function coupling aligned with cortical hierarchies of functional specialization and evolutionary expansion. Furthermore, hierarchy-dependent age effects on structure-function coupling localized to transmodal cortex in both cross-sectional data and a subset of participants with longitudinal data (n = 294). Moreover, structure-function coupling in rostrolateral prefrontal cortex was associated with executive performance and partially mediated age-related improvements in executive function. Together, these findings delineate a critical dimension of adolescent brain development, whereby the coupling between structural and functional connectivity remodels to support functional specialization and cognition.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cerebral Cortex
/
Cognition
/
Adolescent Development
/
Executive Function
/
Nerve Net
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:
2020
Type:
Article