The default mode network and social understanding of others: what do brain connectivity studies tell us
Wanqing Li, Xiaoqin Mai, Chao Liu
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00074 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy subjects, with some studies on patients with autism and psychopathy |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Mentalization Posterior cingulate Prefrontal cortex Empathy Theory of mind Social cognition Cognitive psychology Perception |
| Citations | 469 |
| Key findings | The medial prefrontal cortex and its subregions within the default mode network contribute hierarchically to social understanding, with ventral regions supporting emotion, anterior regions self-other distinction, and dorsal regions mental state understanding. |
Abstract
The Default Mode Network (DMN) has been found to be involved in various domains of cognitive and social processing. The present article will review brain connectivity results related to the DMN in the fields of social understanding of others: emotion perception, empathy, theory of mind, and morality. Most of the reviewed studies focused on healthy subjects with no neurological and psychiatric disease, but some studies on patients with autism and psychopathy will also be discussed. Common results show that the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) plays a key role in the social understanding of others, and the subregions of the MPFC contribute differently to this function according to their roles in different subsystems of the DMN. At the bottom, the ventral MPFC in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem and its connections with emotion regions are mainly associated with emotion engagement during social interactions. Above, the anterior MPFC (aMPFC) in the cortical midline structures (CMS) and its connections with posterior and anterior cingulate cortex contribute mostly to making self-other distinctions. At the top, the dorsal MPFC (dMPFC) in the dMPFC subsystem and its connection with the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) are primarily related to the understanding of other's mental states. As behaviors become more complex, the related regions in frontal cortex are located higher. This reflects the transfer of information processing from automatic to cognitive processes with the increase of the complexity of social interaction. Besides the MPFC and TPJ, the connectivities of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) also show some changes during tasks from the four social fields. These results indicate that the DMN is indispensable in the social understanding of others.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brain's Default Mode Network | 2015 | Review | |
| Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology | 2012 | Review | |
| 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis | 2023 | Review | |
| On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” | 2012 | Review | |
| Self-Processing and the Default Mode Network: Interactions with the Mirror Neuron System | 2013 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 31
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- The Effects of Tryptamine Psychedelics in the Brain: A meta-Analysis of Functional and Review of Molecular Imaging Studies Frontiers in Pharmacology September 29, 2021
- Compassion As an Intervention to Attune to Universal Suffering of Self and Others in Conflicts: A Translational Framework. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Increased functional connectivity between brain regions involved in social cognition, emotion and affective-value in psychedelic states induced by N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024
and 26 more in the library
Cites 7
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- 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
- On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011
- Moral decision-making, ToM, empathy and the default mode network Biological Psychology March 20, 2012
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