Development of functional connectome gradients during childhood and adolescence

Connectome mapping studies have documented a principal primary-to-transmodal gradient in the adult brain network,capturing a functional spectrum that ranges from perception and action to abstract cog-nition.However,how this gradient pattern develops and whether its development is linked to cognitive growth,topological reorganization,and gene expression profiles remain largely unknown.Using longitu-dinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 305 children(aged 6-14 years),we describe substantial changes in the primary-to-transmodal gradient between childhood and adolescence,including emergence as the principal gradient,expansion of global topography,and focal tuning in pri-mary and default-mode regions.These gradient changes are mediated by developmental changes in net-work integration and segregation,and are associated with abstract processing functions such as working memory and expression levels of calcium ion regulated exocytosis and synaptic transmission-related genes.Our findings have implications for understanding connectome maturation principles in normal development and developmental disorders.