Task-evoked functional connectivity exhibits novel and strengthened relationships with executive function relative to the resting state

Abstract

Executive functioning in children has been linked to intrinsic brain network organization assessed during the resting state, as well as to brain network organization during the performance of cognitive tasks. Prior work has established that task-based brain networks are stronger predictors of behavior than resting state networks, yet it is unclear if tasks only strengthen relationships that exist weakly at rest or if tasks also evoke unique relationships. A lack of discernment regarding how tasks and the resting state commonly and uniquely support executive functions precludes a holistic understanding of the neurobiological basis of executive functions. This project investigated differences in brain network organization and relationships with executive function ability between the resting state and two executive function tasks, a stop signal task and an emotional n-back task, using the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study dataset. Both executive function tasks evoked a more integrated network organization than the resting state, and executive function ability was related to different aspects of brain network organization during the resting state and during the tasks. Further, task-related shifts in brain network organization evoked several new relationships with executive function that were not detectable during the resting state and strengthened a relationship with executive function that existed weakly during the resting state. Overall, this study establishes a distinction between common and unique features of intrinsic and task-evoked brain function that facilitate executive function in children. SignificanceExecutive functions, which encompass goal-directed behaviors critical for life success, emerge from interactions within and between networks of brain regions. Here, we tested how executive functions are linked to functional brain network interactions during the resting state, in which there are no external cognitive demands, and during executive function tasks in late childhood. We found that brain network organization during the performance of executive function tasks evoked a combination of new and strengthened relationships with executive function ability compared to the resting state. This suggests that the brain facilitates executive function performance in children through the recruitment of specific functional interactions during the enactment of executive function.