The role of default mode network in semantic cue integration
Neuroimage June 6, 2020 Lucilla Lanzoni, Daniela Ravasio, H. Thompson et al.
The default mode network (DMN), located at the heteromodal end of the brain's principal gradient, may integrate diverse information to guide cognition. In a functional MRI study, participants made semantic decisions about ambiguous words (e.g., "jam") after seeing either no cue, a single cue (a spatial context or facial emotion), or two convergent cues (both spatial and emotional). Single cues activated the multiple demand network, while two convergent cues more strongly activated DMN regions (angular gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate), even though behavioral performance did not differ. This suggests DMN supports information integration to constrain ongoing cognition, independent of task difficulty.