Resting-state cortical hubs in youth organize into four categories

SUMMARY

During childhood, neural systems supporting high-level cognitive processes undergo periods of rapid growth and refinement, which rely on the successful coordination of activation across the brain. Some coordination occurs via cortical hubs—brain regions that coactivate with functional networks other than their own. Adult cortical hubs map into three distinct profiles, but less is known about hub categories during development, when critical improvement in cognition occurs. We identify four distinct hub categories in a large youth sample (n = 567, ages 8.5–17.2), each exhibiting more diverse connectivity profiles than adults. Youth hubs integrating control-sensory processing split into two distinct categories (visual control and auditory/motor control), whereas adult hubs unite under one. This split suggests a need for segregating sensory stimuli while functional networks are experiencing rapid development. Functional coactivation strength for youth control-processing hubs are associated with task performance, suggesting a specialized role in routing sensory information to and from the brain’s control system.

In brief

Cortical hubs integrate information flow between brain regions and are especially important as the brain undergoes rapid growth during childhood. Demeter et al. identify four unique categories of cortical hubs in youths. Notably, control-processing hubs split into two distinct and sensory-specific categories that are associated with cognitive flexibility task performance.

Graphical Abstract