Functional connectome through the human life span

Motivation: The normative developmental and aging trajectory of the functional connectome in the human brain remains unknown. Goal(s): To establish the normative growth trajectory of functional connectome from the largest, quality-controlled multimodal neuroimaging dataset. Approach: We aggregated 33,809 task-free fMRI scans from 32,328 individuals aged 32 postmenstrual weeks to 80 years from 119 global sites, and quantified lifespan growth charts using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). Results: We uncovered nonlinear connectome growth at the whole cortex, system, and regional levels, identified critical developmental inflection points, and demonstrated substantial individual heterogeneities in patients with ASD and patients with MDD. Impact: Our findings elucidate for the first time the lifespan evolution of the functional connectome and serve as a normative reference for quantifying individual variation in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.