Our findings suggest that large-scale brain networks derived from task-free fMRI have a robust functional organization in 7–9-y-old children. Importantly, we show that the dynamic process of over-connectivity followed by pruning, which rewires connectivity at the neuronal level [89], also operates at the systems level and helps reconfigure and rebalance subcortical and paralimbic connectivity in the developing brain. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of network analysis of functional connectivity in elucidating the principles underlying brain maturation. Furthermore, our study shows how quantitative analysis of anatomical connectivity, and in particular the computation of wiring distance between brain regions, allows us to link changes in functional networks to the maturation of white matter tracts. Such multimodal analysis of structural and functional brain connectivity will prove useful in helping us better understand the network architecture that shapes and constrains cognitive development.
