RESTING-STATE NETWORK CONNECTIVITY AND COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN FOLLOWING A TWO-YEAR ARTS-BASED INTERVENTION

Childhood between 6 and 10 years represents a sensitive period for executive function (EF) maturation and large-scale brain network plasticity. Cognitive flexibility, a core component of EF, refers to the ability to adapt behavior in response to changing rules and contexts. It is supported by distributed interactions across multiple large-scale brain networks. Arts-based training, such as music and visual arts, may provide experiences that shape network development during this period. Here, we investigate whether arts-based training modulates resting-state functional connectivity and whether such changes relate to improvements in cognitive flexibility. A total of 113 children (~6-10 years) were randomized to orchestra in class, visual arts, or control groups. Participants underwent resting-state MRI and behavioral assessments at baseline (T0) and one year later (T1); T2 data collection is ongoing. Networks were identified using independent component analysis, with a focus on components corresponding to the frontoparietal, sensorimotor, auditory, and default mode networks (Fig. 1). Intervention effects on within-network connectivity were assessed using dual regression and nonparametric permutation testing, and between-network connectivity was examined with FSLNets. Cognitive flexibility was measured using the Dimensional Change Card Sort task. Preliminary behavioral results revealed a significant main effect of time from T0 to T1, with faster reaction times and higher accuracy, and no group differences or group-by-time interactions. This pattern is consistent with developmental maturation and motivates ongoing analyses testing whether changes in frontoparietal connectivity and its interactions with other networks predict longitudinal gains in cognitive flexibility, with larger effects anticipated after two years of intervention.