DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS WITH COGNITION AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN YOUTH

Abstract

Cognitive ability and psychological risks are heterogeneous among adolescents. Individual differences in brain functional connectivity (FC) have been used for cognitive performance prediction and mental health risk calculation. However, the interindividual FC variability during adolescence is still uncharacterized. Leveraging large population neuroimaging data, we depicted the spatial and temporal patterns of interindividual FC variability in youth. We observed the spatial distribution of the interindividual FC variability related to the brain structure-function decoupling; age effects on the interindividual FC variability were mediated by brain functional specialization and integration. The interindividual FC variability at different developmental stages revealed a maturation focus shifting from complex cognition to social cognition, while vulnerable periods of psychopathology highlighted the earlier onset of internalizing/externalizing behavior in contrast with psychosis symptoms. These findings delineate the development of interindividual FC variability during adolescence and suggest possible key intervention windows for cognitive ability enhancement and psychiatric disorder prevention.