Neuropathic pain (NP) is a prevalent condition often associated with heightened pain responsiveness suggestive of central sensitization. Neuroimaging biomarkers of treatment outcomes may help develop personalized treatment strategies, but white matter (WM) properties have been underexplored for this purpose. Here we assessed whether WM pathways of the default mode network (DMN: medial...
Humans spend much of their time engaged in stimulus-independent thoughts, colloquially known as "daydreaming" or "mind-wandering." A fundamental question concerns how awake, spontaneous brain activity represents the ongoing cognition of daydreaming versus unconscious processes characterized as "intrinsic." Since daydreaming involves brief cognitive events that spontaneously fluctuate, we tested...
Rumination is a form of thought characterized by repetitive focus on discomforting emotions or stimuli. In chronic pain disorders, rumination can impede treatment efficacy. The brain mechanisms underlying rumination about chronic pain are not understood. Interestingly, a link between rumination and functional connectivity (FC) of the brain's default mode network (DMN) has been identified within...