Sha Tao

Introduction: Students' mindsets about the malleability of their abilities shape their academic performance, social adaptation, and psychological well‐being, making it important to track how these beliefs change during adolescence. Although mindsets undergo substantial change in this period, most studies have used latent variable models that ignore the dynamic interactions among mindset items. Examining how specific items change over time can thus reveal how mindsets develop and whether this process differs between boys and girls. Methods: This study examined the temporal links among the 10 growth mindset items and the 10 fixed mindset items, identifying the central beliefs within each network, in 15,386 students (40% girls; = 16.73 years) from 31 secondary vocational schools in China, followed annually over 3 years. Mixed‐design ANOVA and cross‐lagged panel network (CLPN) analysis were used to compare mindset development between genders. Results: Boys consistently reported higher aggregate scores on both growth and fixed mindsets than girls, though these differences were small. The CLPN analysis showed gender‐specific trajectories: girls showed earlier and more pronounced changes in the growth mindset network, whereas boys showed slower integration of growth‐related beliefs. By contrast, the fixed mindset networks developed similarly across genders. Item‐level cross‐lagged associations were small, and network comparisons were descriptive. Conclusions: Conceptualizing mindsets as interconnected networks, this study identifies gender‐specific developmental patterns in mindset organization among Chinese vocational students, showing how mindset items co‐develop over time and suggesting candidate targets for gender‐sensitive interventions in the future.

Despite dynamic sulcal changes during youth paralleling skill development, the link between extended postnatal development and cognition remains underexplored. This study analyzes structural MRI data from 307 children (6-14 years), with longitudinal data (inter-scan interval ~1 year) available for a subset. Results reveal widespread cortical thinning, sulcal widening, and reductions in adjusted area and depth, following a chronological gradient where earliest-forming sulci undergo the most profound change. Longitudinal remodeling, rather than baseline morphometry, predicts cognitive gains. Specifically, working memory improvements are predicted by widening of the left calcarine and posterior intralingual sulci. In contrast, attention network maturation involves global changes, though executive control is specifically linked to left intraparietal sulcus widening. Gene enrichment analysis links these changes to synaptic processes. This study advances our understanding of the association between sulcal morphometry and cognitive function, elucidating potential mechanisms underlying brain development from childhood to adolescence.

The human cortical functional hierarchy, spanning from primary sensorimotor to transmodal association regions, represents a fundamental principle of brain organisation. Here, we show lifespan changes in the sensorimotor-association (S-A) gradient in the cortical functional hierarchy using multimodal neuroimaging data from 33,247 participants aged 32 postmenstrual weeks to 80 years. We identify three critical neurodevelopmental milestones: initiation (third trimester to perinatal period), establishment (infancy to early childhood), and expansion-stabilisation (late childhood to adulthood). Pronounced gradient changes are predominantly observed during the first decade, with continued refinement extending into mid-adulthood. Spatiotemporally heterogeneous growth patterns in functional gradients align with evolutionary hierarchies, segregation–integration dynamics, structural maturation, and cognitive spectrum development, proceeding along a dominant S-A growth axis. These findings establish a unified neurodevelopmental framework that links connectome gradient dynamics to multifaceted functional and structural properties, advancing our understanding of cortical hierarchy maturation across the lifespan.

Introduction: Family functioning is a critical factor linked to child outcomes in neurodevelopmental disorders but remains unstudied in Mowat–Wilson syndrome (MWS), a rare condition with substantial caregiver burden. This study characterized family functioning in MWS and identified factors associated with family functioning. Materials and Methods: We employed a cross-sectional survey in a cohort of 42 patients with MWS. Family functioning was assessed using the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Clinical and behavioral characteristics included intellectual disability, adaptive functioning, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-related behaviors, and CBCL-derived domains of social, emotional, and sleep-related concerns. Results: Among 42 children (mean age 4.9 years), severe/profound intellectual disability and adaptive deficits were common. Difficulties in family functioning were frequently reported. The highest proportions of scores above the published cut-off were observed in behavior control (90.5%) and affective involvement (76.2%). Higher monthly household income was independently associated with better general family functioning (β = −0.443, p = 0.008), whereas child age, intellectual disability severity, and adaptive impairment were not significantly associated with general functioning scores. Poorer general functioning was associated with higher scores on the CBCL-derived depressive symptom domain. Conclusions: Caregivers of children with MWS commonly reported difficulties in family functioning; behavior control was most affected, followed by affective involvement. Higher household income was independently associated with better general family functioning, suggesting that household income is an important socioeconomic correlate of family functioning.

The cortical organization of human hippocampus is multidimensional, yet its developmental profile and underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. We combined three large-scale developmental cohorts to conduct a multiscale association study and revealed a reproducible triple-gradient organization profile on the hippocampus with distinct brain-mind maturational profiles. This multidimensional organization uniquely shapes the development of cortical hierarchy, most prominently within the frontoparietal (cognitive control) and cingulo-opercular (action mode) systems. Specifically, the three gradients differentially support maturation of episodic memory and specific aspects of executive function. A progressive relaxation of geometric constraints of human hippocampus was detectable on its function over development while this mirrors regional myelination patterns related to maturation of hippocampal gradients. Further transcriptome analyses find a link between these gradient reorganization and molecular pathways underlying neurodevelopment, stress-hormone regulation, and neuroactive signaling. This multidimensional principle on hippocampal gradient organization may offer insights of its integrative growth with connectomic, geometric, myeloarchitectural, and transcriptomic factors to orchestrate the cortical hierarchy and cognitive maturation, forming a parsimonious framework for developmental neuroscience and brain health.

The development of reading skills and cognitive flexibility is crucial for success in childhood and adulthood. Although previous studies demonstrate the existing links between the development of cognitive flexibility and the reading acquisition in children, it remains unclear how baseline reading achievement influences later cognitive flexibility, or vice versa, particularly in relation to the underlying brain development. Therefore, in this prospective longitudinal study, we investigated the reciprocal prediction between reading achievement and cognitive flexibility, along with the underlying brain development that potentially mediated this relationship in school‐aged children. By employing a self‐recruited longitudinal dataset with two time points spaced 12 months apart, we found a significant association between baseline reading achievement and later cognitive flexibility, as well as between baseline cognitive flexibility and later reading achievement. Moreover, the left middle frontal gyrus emerged as a central neural hub supporting the development of both abilities. Increases in its gray matter volume and enhanced its functional connectivity to the salience network significantly mediated the longitudinal associations between reading achievement and cognitive flexibility. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the vital role of the left middle frontal gyrus in integrating language information processing and higher‐order cognitive control. This provides evidence for future reading or cognitive interventions.