Developmental changes in within- and between-network connectivity between late childhood and adulthood

• Published in: Neuropsychologia Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 156 - 167
• Main Authors: Barber, Anita D., Caffo, Brian S., Pekar, James J., Mostofsky, Stewart H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Anticorrelation; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - blood supply; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Child; Child development; Child Development - physiology; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive control; Development; Developmental psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Inhibition (Psychology); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Network; Neural Pathways - blood supply; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Oxygen - blood; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reaction Time - physiology; Response inhibition; Resting-state connectivity; Young Adult; Development; Response inhibition; Anticorrelation; Cognitive control; Resting-state connectivity; Network; Human; Cognition; Experimental study; Preadolescent; Encephalon; Rest; School age; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Adult; Cognitive development; Inhibition; Child
• ISSN: 0028-3932; 1873-3514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.11.011

A number of behavioral changes occur between late childhood and adulthood, including maturation of social cognition, reward receptivity, impulsiveness, risk-taking and cognitive control. Although some of these abilities show linear improvements with age, some abilities may temporarily worsen, reflecting both the restructuring and/or strengthening of connections within some brain systems. The current study uses resting state functional connectivity to examine developmental differences between late childhood and adulthood in task positive (TP) regions, which play a role in cognitive control functions, and task negative (TN) regions, which play a role in social cognition, self-referential, and internally-directed thought. Within the TP network, developmental differences in connectivity were found with the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Within the TN network, developmental differences in connectivity were found with a broad area of the medial prefrontal cortex and the right parahippocampal gyrus. Connections between the two networks also showed significant developmental differences. Stronger anticorrelations were found in the TN maps of the adult group for the right anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral anterior inferior parietal lobule, bilateral superior parietal lobule and an anterior portion of the right posterior cingulate cortex. There was a significant brain–behavior relationship between the strength of anticorrelation in these regions and inhibitory control performance on two Go/No-go tasks suggesting that the development of anticorrelations between late childhood and adulthood supports mature inhibitory control. Overall, maturation of these networks occurred in specific regions which are associated with cognitive control of goal-directed behavior, including those involved in working memory, social cognition, and inhibitory control. ► Network development leads to specific changes between children and adults. ► Adults have stronger within-network connectivity to circumscribed regions. ► Adults have more anticorrelated between-network connectivity to circumscribed regions. ► Inhibitory control is related to the strength of anticorrelation in developing areas.