Age effects on the default mode and control networks in typically developing children

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Neuroimaging research increasingly focuses on neurodevelopment during late childhood and pre-adolescence.
• Formation of brain networks in healthy subjects is a key area of interest.
• Large-scale resting-state fMRI studies in this age group, particularly from diverse populations, are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental trajectory of the Default Mode Network and Control Network.
• To analyze a Brazilian community sample of 447 typically developing children aged 7-15 years.
• To describe the formation of these brain networks during a critical developmental period.

Main Methods:

• Acquisition of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data using standardized parameters.
• Estimation of age-related effects on functional connectivity strength between brain regions.
• Analysis of network properties using graph theory metrics like degree and eigenvector centrality.

Main Results:

• Antero-posterior connectivity within both the Default Mode Network and Control Network increases with age.
• Graph analysis revealed enhanced centrality with age in key regions, including the Default Mode Network and specific areas of the Control Network.
• Significant developmental changes in network integration and hub region centrality were observed.

Conclusions:

• The age range of 7-15 years is critical for the maturation of the Default Mode Network and Control Network.
• Development involves increased integration between posterior and anterior neuronal modules.
• Hub regions within these networks show increased centrality during this developmental window.