Functional dissociation of ventral frontal and dorsomedial default mode network components during resting state and emotional autobiographical recall
Patrícia Bado, Annerose Engel, Ricardo de Oliveira‐souza, Ivanei E. Bramati, Fernando Fernandes Paiva, Rodrigo Basílio, João Ricardo Sato, Fernanda Tovar‐moll, Jorge Moll
Human Brain Mapping November 6, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22403 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects fMRI experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Human participants |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Autobiographical memory Dissociation chemistry Resting State FMRI Recall Posterior cingulate Prefrontal cortex Anterior cingulate cortex Cognitive psychology Ventral striatum Cognition |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key findings | Emotional autobiographical memory recall and resting state produce a dissociation within the default mode network: dorsomedial regions are more active during emotional recall, while a ventral frontal network is more active during resting state. |
Abstract
Humans spend a substantial share of their lives mind-wandering. This spontaneous thinking activity usually comprises autobiographical recall, emotional, and self-referential components. While neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that a specific brain "default mode network" (DMN) is consistently engaged by the "resting state" of the mind, the relative contribution of key cognitive components to DMN activity is still poorly understood. Here we used fMRI to investigate whether activity in neural components of the DMN can be differentially explained by active recall of relevant emotional autobiographical memories as compared with the resting state. Our study design combined emotional autobiographical memory, neutral memory and resting state conditions, separated by a serial subtraction control task. Shared patterns of activation in the DMN were observed in both emotional autobiographical and resting conditions, when compared with serial subtraction. Directly contrasting autobiographical and resting conditions demonstrated a striking dissociation within the DMN in that emotional autobiographical retrieval led to stronger activation of the dorsomedial core regions (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex), whereas the resting state condition engaged a ventral frontal network (ventral striatum, subgenual and ventral anterior cingulate cortices) in addition to the IPL. Our results reveal an as yet unreported dissociation within the DMN. Whereas the dorsomedial component can be explained by emotional autobiographical memory, the ventral frontal one is predominantly associated with the resting state proper, possibly underlying fundamental motivational mechanisms engaged during spontaneous unconstrained ideation.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Sender-receiver subdivisions of the default mode network in perceptual and memory-guided cognition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 14, 2026
- Solving the prefrontal conundrum of high-order anxiety: conciliating HOTEC and hypofrontality. A theoretical review. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry November 2018
- The Default Mode Network Supports Episodic Memory in Cognitively Unimpaired Elderly Individuals: Different Contributions to Immediate Recall and Delayed Recall Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience January 24, 2018
- Depression in chronic ketamine users: Sex differences and neural bases. Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging November 30, 2017
- Impact of cannabis use on prefrontal and parietal cortex gyrification and surface area in adolescents and emerging adults. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience December 2015
and 2 more in the library
Cites 11
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience July 6, 2009
- Investigating the Functional Heterogeneity of the Default Mode Network Using Coordinate-Based Meta-Analytic Modeling Journal of Neuroscience November 18, 2009
and 6 more in the library