Researchers found that some white matter tracts act as “bridges” between lower-level sensory and motor regions and higher-order association areas of the brain. Mapping 52 tracts across several large imaging datasets, they showed that these long-range connections support a broader range of cognitive functions and undergo more pronounced developmental changes during childhood and adolescence. The findings offer a new framework for linking white matter organization to cognition and brain development.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-026-02559-5