Insula functional connectivity development follows a canonical antero-posterior axis of organization

Insula resting-state functional connectivity develops along an antero-posterior axis across 562 individuals aged 6–22, with anterior connectivity decreasing and posterior connectivity varying.

• Why it matters: The insula’s functional development is sparsely mapped despite known antero-posterior cytoarchitectural organization, limiting how emerging psychopathology might be studied.
• What they did: Resting-state insula-to-cortex connectivity was modeled across 562 participants (6–22 years) using generalized additive models and population value decomposition, with vertex-level trajectory analysis.
• The result: Age-related connectivity trajectories followed an antero-posterior pattern aligned with insula microstructure estimates, providing normative maps to test links between variation in insula development and emerging psychopathology.