Tasks activating the default mode network map multiple functional systems
Brain Structure and Function February 18, 2022 L. Mancuso, Sara Cavuoti-Cabanillas, D. Liloia et al.
The default mode network (DMN), traditionally viewed as a single network active during rest and deactivated during tasks, may actually consist of multiple subsystems supporting a broader range of functions than previously thought. This meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies found that DMN activation patterns can be arranged along a continuous gradient from core midline regions linked to internal mental processes to lateral cortices involved in external tasks such as reward, semantic processing, and emotion. Importantly, many task-related activation maps differed from the canonical resting-state DMN, sometimes overlapping only in peripheral nodes and including regions like the insula. These results suggest that the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic brain functions is better conceptualized as a continuum rather than a strict dichotomy.