Development of structure–function coupling in human brain networks during youth

TLDR

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. The study aims to characterize how white‑matter architecture develops during youth to support coordinated neural activity, using diffusion‑weighted imaging and n‑back functional MRI in 727 participants aged 8–23. The authors assessed structure‑function coupling by combining diffusion‑weighted imaging with n‑back functional MRI across 727 youths aged 8–23. They found that structure‑function coupling varies across cortical hierarchies, with age effects concentrated in transmodal cortex and stronger coupling in rostrolateral prefrontal cortex linked to executive performance, indicating that coupling remodels to support functional specialization and cognition during adolescence.

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.