Chunk #34 — Discussion — rs-fcMRI may reflect an interaction between the maturing neural substrate and the use of efficient pathways for general task completion — Changes in the neural substrate over development may lead to more efficient neural pathways for general task completion
It is important to note, however, that improved communication between distant regions (via myelination) would not necessarily cause a wholesale decrease in connections that were originally organized locally. Many of these local connections likely continue to contribute to the most efficient “solution” for any particular task and remain in use. In fact, the change in dynamics may actually contribute to distinct local connections increasing with time. This possibility may underlie the increases in strength of specific short-range connections seen in Figure 5 and Figure S2.
