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Prior research has demonstrated that linguistic skills and knowledge contribute to successful reading acquisition. In contrast, little is known about the influence of domain‐general learning abilities on reading. To investigate associations between general memory functions and reading during the early stages of learning to read, performance measures of word‐level reading and of declarative and procedural learning were obtained in a cohort of 140 children, annually during their first 4 years of school. We hypothesized that differences in learning task performance would relate to reading ability in the early years, when children are first learning to read. We employed a series of linear mixed effects models to test the relationships between learning abilities and reading across time. Declarative learning performance predicted reading ability in first grade, while procedural learning performance predicted reading ability in second grade. Our findings suggest that reading acquisition may depend in part on general capacities for learning.

Recent studies have revealed that brain development is marked by morphological synchronization across brain regions. Regions with shared growth trajectories form structural covariance networks (SCNs) that not only map onto functionally identified cognitive systems, but also correlate with a range of cognitive abilities across the lifespan. Despite advances in within‐network covariance examinations, few studies have examined lifetime patterns of structural relationships across known SCNs. In the current study, we used a big‐data framework and a novel application of covariate‐adjusted restricted cubic spline regression to identify volumetric network trajectories and covariance patterns across 13 networks (n = 5,019, ages = 7–90). Our findings revealed that typical development and aging are marked by significant shifts in the degree that networks preferentially coordinate with one another (i.e., modularity). Specifically, childhood showed higher modularity of networks compared to adolescence, reflecting a shift over development from segregation to desegregation of inter‐network relationships. The shift from young to middle adulthood was marked by a significant decrease in inter‐network modularity and organization, which continued into older adulthood, potentially reflecting changes in brain organizational efficiency with age. This study is the first to characterize brain development and aging in terms of inter‐network structural covariance across the lifespan.