Task-free (resting-state) functional connectivity MRI is a useful technique for investigating the functional organization of the human brain. This method detects interregional correlations in spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations [20],[21], and has been used to investigate brain networks involved in motor [20], sensory [22], attention [23], salience and cognitive control [24], and memory [25],[26] systems. However, only a small number of studies have examined developmental changes in functional brain organization. A few recent studies have examined developmental changes in functional connectivity of brain regions involved in attention and cognitive control [27] and the default mode network (DMN) [28], as well as in functional connectivity of anatomical structures such as the anterior cingulate cortex [29]. To our knowledge, the developmental changes in the functional organization of large-scale networks at the whole-brain level have not yet been investigated.
