Abstract
Cognitive control, which continues to mature throughout adolescence, is supported by the ability for well-defined organized brain networks to flexibly integrate information. However, the development of intrinsic brain network organization and its relationship to observed improvements in cognitive control are not well understood. In the present study, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI), graph theory, the antisaccade task, and rigorous head motion control to characterize and relate developmental changes in network organization, connectivity strength, and integration to inhibitory control development. Subjects were 192 10–26-y-olds who were imaged during 5 min of rest. In contrast to initial studies, our results indicate that network organization is stable throughout adolescence. However, cross-network integration, predominantly of the cingulo-opercular/salience network, increased with age. Importantly, this increased integration of the cingulo-opercular/salience network significantly moderated the robust effect of age on the latency to initiate a correct inhibitory control response. These results provide compelling evidence that the transition to adult-level inhibitory control is dependent upon the refinement and strengthening of integration between specialized networks. Our findings support a novel, two-stage model of neural development, in which networks stabilize prior to adolescence and subsequently increase their integration to support the cross-domain incorporation of information processing critical for mature cognitive control.
Highlights
Cognitive control refers to the ability to execute voluntary, goal-directed behavior [1,2,3]
The representative network partition of the full connectome was given a threshold of a density of 10% (Fig 1B) to partition the network into a meaningful structure while maintaining high connectedness, which would be limited with lower thresholds
In order to identify the contribution of regions of interest (ROIs) to age-related differences in network integration, which is overlooked when averaging at the network level, we tested each region of interest (ROI) in the network for significant increases in participation coefficient (PC) across age groups
Summary
Cognitive control refers to the ability to execute voluntary, goal-directed behavior [1,2,3] It requires flexible and adaptive coordination of core executive systems that are supported by integration among widely distributed, specialized brain circuitries [4]. In adolescence, cognitive control abilities become significantly more reliable and flexible, as response accuracy and speed stabilize in adulthood [6]. These developmental gains in information processing occur in parallel with brain maturational events, including synaptic pruning [7] and myelination [8], which predominantly enhance collaboration among brain systems [9]. The nature of the interaction between brain network maturation and cognitive development during adolescence is not well understood [10], limiting our ability to understand the neural basis of psychopathologies that emerge at this time, many of which are characterized by deficits in cognitive control [11]
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