Functional connectivity patterns of the fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular networks demonstrate distinct associations with individual differences in cognitive control during early adolescence

Cognitive control refers to a set of mental processes that enable individuals to flexibly and adaptively engage in goal-directed behavior. Adolescence is characterized by the emergence and subsequent rapid development of adult-like cognitive control abilities, and as such, there is great interest in understanding the neural basis of this maturational process. The goal of the present study was to investigate how the resting-state and task-based functional connectivity (FC) patterns of two brain networks implicated in control processes, the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and the cingulo-opercular network (CON), contribute to individual differences in the cognitive control abilities of young adolescents. Specifically, we examined whether the FPN and the CON play distinct roles in the implementation of control as evidenced by unique associations with individual differences in cognitive control. We further investigated whether coordinated processing between the FPN and the CON supports the successful engagement of cognitive control. We explored these issues in a large sample (n = 3719) of 9–10 year olds drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ Study. Our results provide evidence that youth with higher levels of cognitive control showed more isolation of the FPN from other networks, while the CON showed greater flexibility in its connectivity with other networks across rest and task. We additionally demonstrate that individuals with higher levels of cognitive control exhibit greater differentiation between the FPN and the CON. Together, these findings support developmental theories highlighting the importance of neural processing within and across the FPN and the CON during adolescence.