the global functional organization of brain networks would be characterized by nonrandom, efficient, small-world characteristics in both subject groups, but that young-adults would show higher small-worldness compared to children, on the basis of previous neurobiological studies in humans and animals suggesting that developmental changes improve efficiency of information processing in the brain [42]–[44]. We further predicted that local organization patterns would be significantly different in children, reflecting a process of continuing structural maturation during the period between childhood and young adolescence. To further characterize developmental changes in the global and local functional organization of brain networks, we used the parcellation scheme of Mesulam [45] to examine functional organization in five key subdivisions: primary sensory, subcortical, limbic, paralimbic, and association areas. Additionally, developmental changes in the connectivity between these subdivisions (hereafter referred to as interregional connectivity in the manuscript) were examined. Lastly, to characterize the underlying developmental processes that produce these changes in the global and local functional organization of large-scale brain networks, we examined changes in functional connectivity as a function of DTI-based wiring distance between distinct brain regions. The formation of brain networks during development is thought to arise from a dual process of integration and segregation [27],[46]–[49]. Accordingly,
