Open AccessShifting gradients of macroscale cortical organization mark the transition from childhood to adolescence
Author(s) -
Hao-Ming Dong,
Daniel S. Margulies,
Xi-Nian Zuo,
Avram J. Holmes
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2024448118
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , neuroscience , psychology , sensory system , default mode network , cortex (anatomy) , developmental psychology , cognition , functional connectivity , motor cortex , biology , cognitive psychology , stimulation
Significance Here, we describe age-dependent shifts in the macroscale organization of cortex in childhood and adolescence. The characterization of functional connectivity patterns in children revealed an overarching organizational framework anchored within the unimodal cortex, between somatosensory/motor and visual regions. Conversely, in adolescents, we observed a transition into an adult-like gradient, situating the default network at the opposite end of a spectrum from primary somatosensory/motor regions. This spatial framework emerged gradually with age, reaching a sharp inflection point at the transition from childhood to adolescence. These data reveal a developmental change from a functional motif first dominated by the distinction between sensory and motor systems and then balanced through interactions with later-maturing aspects of association cortex that support more abstract cognitive functions.