Qiongling Li, Xinyuan Liang, Debin Zeng, Tengda Zhao, Xuhong Liao, Gaolang Gong, Qian Wang, Chenxuan Pang, Qian Yu, Xiaoxi Dong, Yirong He, Yanchao Bi, Yanchao Bi, Rui Chen, Yuan Chen, Taolin Chen, Jingliang Cheng, Yuqi Cheng, Yuqi Cheng, Zhengjia Dai, Zhengjia Dai, Yuyin Ding, Qi Dong, Qi Dong, Dingna Duan, Jia‐Hong Gao, Qiyong Gong, Zaizhu Han, Zaizhu Han, Ruiwang Huang, Ruiwang Huang, Ran Huo, Ching-Po Lin, Qixiang Lin, Bangshan Liu, Chao Liu, Ningyu Liu, Ying Liu, Yong Liu, Jing Lu, Jing Lu, Leilei Ma, Weiwei Men, Wen Qin, Jiang Qiu, Shijun Qiu, Shijun Qiu, Tianmei Si, Yanqing Tang, Yanqing Tang, Sha Tao, Fei Wang, Jiali Wang, Pan Wang, Xiaoqin Wang, Yanpei Wang, Yanpei Wang, Dongtao Wei, Yankun Wu, Peng Xie, Yuehua Xu, Zhilei Xu, Zhilei Xu, Liyuan Yang, Huishu Yuan, Huishu Yuan, Zilong Zeng, Xi Zhang, Xi Zhang, Gai Zhao, Suyu Zhong, MCADI, MCADI, DIDA-MDD Working Group, DIDA-MDD Working Group, Mingrui Xia, Shuyu Li, Yong He, Yong He
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. This study delineates lifespan changes in the sensorimotor-association gradient using multimodal neuroimaging data from 33,247 participants, revealing a pattern aligned with evolutionary, structural, and cognitive hierarchies within a unified neurodevelopmental framework.