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Peer-reviewedCC BYNature Communications

Mapping the spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development across the human connectome in youth

  • Xiaoyu Xu1,2,3
  • Hang Yang1,2
  • Jing Cong1,2,3
  • Haoshu Xu4,1,2
  • Jason Kai5
  • Shaoling Zhao1,2
  • Yang Li1,2
  • Haochang Shou6
  • Kangcheng Wang7
  • Valerie J. Sydnor8
  • Ting Xu5
  • Fang-Cheng F. Yeh9
1 more authors
  • Zaixu Cui10,11
11 affiliations
  1. 1Beijing Institute for Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
  2. 2Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, Beijing, China
  3. 3State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
  4. 4Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
  5. 5Child Mind Institute, Center for the Integrative Developmental Neuroscience, New York, NY, USA
  6. 6Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
  7. 7School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
  8. 8Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  9. 9Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  10. 10Beijing Institute for Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. [email protected]
  11. 11Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, Beijing, China. [email protected]
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Abstract

Childhood and adolescence are marked by protracted developmental remodeling of cortico-cortical structural connectivity. However, the spatiotemporal variability of white matter connectivity development across the human connectome and its relevance to cognition and psychopathology remains unclear. Using diffusion MRI data from three independent developmental cohorts spanning youth, we identified a robust divergence in structural connectivity maturation along a predefined sensorimotor-association (S-A) connectional axis during youth ( http://connectcharts.cibr.ac.cn ). This developmental continuum ranged from early childhood increases in sensorimotor-sensorimotor connectivity strength to late adolescent increases in association-association connectivity strength, with the transition occurring around age 15. The S-A connectional axis also captured spatial variations in the associations between structural connectivity and both higher-order cognition and general psychopathology. Moreover, group-level developmental trajectories of structural connectivity differed by cognitive and psychopathological levels, with psychopathological effects predominantly observed in association connections. These findings delineate a spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development during youth, providing a normative reference for quantifying developmental variability in psychiatric disorders.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{xu2026mapping,
  title = {{Mapping the spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development across the human connectome in youth}},
  author = {Xiaoyu Xu and Hang Yang and Jing Cong and Haoshu Xu and Jason Kai and Shaoling Zhao and Yang Li and Haochang Shou and Kangcheng Wang and Valerie J. Sydnor and Ting Xu and Fang-Cheng F. Yeh and Zaixu Cui},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-73072-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73072-6},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Mapping the spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development across the human connectome in youth
AU  - Xiaoyu Xu
AU  - Hang Yang
AU  - Jing Cong
AU  - Haoshu Xu
AU  - Jason Kai
AU  - Shaoling Zhao
AU  - Yang Li
AU  - Haochang Shou
AU  - Kangcheng Wang
AU  - Valerie J. Sydnor
AU  - Ting Xu
AU  - Fang-Cheng F. Yeh
AU  - Zaixu Cui
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-73072-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73072-6
AB  - Childhood and adolescence are marked by protracted developmental remodeling of cortico-cortical structural connectivity. However, the spatiotemporal variability of white matter connectivity development across the human connectome and its relevance to cognition and psychopathology remains unclear. Using diffusion MRI data from three independent developmental cohorts spanning youth, we identified a robust divergence in structural connectivity maturation along a predefined sensorimotor-association (S-A) connectional axis during youth ( http://connectcharts.cibr.ac.cn ). This developmental continuum ranged from early childhood increases in sensorimotor-sensorimotor connectivity strength to late adolescent increases in association-association connectivity strength, with the transition occurring around age 15. The S-A connectional axis also captured spatial variations in the associations between structural connectivity and both higher-order cognition and general psychopathology. Moreover, group-level developmental trajectories of structural connectivity differed by cognitive and psychopathological levels, with psychopathological effects predominantly observed in association connections. These findings delineate a spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development during youth, providing a normative reference for quantifying developmental variability in psychiatric disorders.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -