Functional network connectivity and child cognitive development

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This research investigates how communication between brain areas develops during childhood and adolescence, as well as how these changes are related to the development of abilities like memory and attention. These are important questions because we know that interactions among brain areas is critical for performing many types of mental tasks, but little is known about how these brain networks develop. I will measure communication in brain networks in children, adolescents and young adults using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging, and this will be compared with paper-and-pencil tests that measure various abilities. The knowledge gained through this research will provide valuable new insights into how the brain develops and gains new abilities, opens new avenues for studying how atypical development of brain networks contributes to learning difficulties, and lays the foundation for new teaching and intervention strategies targeted toward specific brain networks at critical periods in their development.