Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with abnormal function of the default mode network (DMN), a distributed network of brain regions more active during rest than during performance of many attention-demanding tasks and characterized by a high degree of functional connectivity (i.e., temporal correlations between brain regions). Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed that the DMN in the healthy brain is associated with stimulus-independent thought and self-reflection and that greater suppression of the DMN is associated with better performance on attention-demanding tasks. In schizophrenia and depression, the DMN is often found to be hyperactivated and hyperconnected. In schizophrenia this may relate to overly intensive self-reference and impairments in attention and working memory. In depression, DMN hyperactivity may be related to negative rumination. These findings are considered in terms of what is known about psychological functions supported by the DMN, and alteration of the DMN in other neuropsychiatric disorders.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

• State of the evidence: Default mode network ↕Mixed

  The DMN is often hyperactivated and hyperconnected in schizophrenia and depression, potentially relating to excessive self-reference and negative rumination.

  Synthesized October 19, 2026

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on default mode network, most cited first.