Damage to the Salience Network and Interactions with the Default Mode Network
S. R. Jilka, G. Scott, T. Ham, A. Pickering, V. Bonnelle, R. M. Braga, Robert Leech, David J. Sharp
Journal of Neuroscience August 13, 2014 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0518-14.2014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Humans with traumatic brain injury and healthy controls |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Citations | 242 |
| Key findings | Damage to the Salience Network impairs the transient increase in functional connectivity between the right anterior insula and the Default Mode Network that accompanies cognitive control. |
Abstract
Interactions between the Salience Network (SN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN) are thought to be important for cognitive control. However, evidence for a causal relationship between the networks is limited. Previously, we have reported that traumatic damage to white matter tracts within the SN predicts abnormal DMN function. Here we investigate the effect of this damage on network interactions that accompany changing motor control. We initially used fMRI of the Stop Signal Task to study response inhibition in humans. In healthy subjects, functional connectivity (FC) between the right anterior insula (rAI), a key node of the SN, and the DMN transiently increased during stopping. This change in FC was not seen in a group of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with impaired cognitive control. Furthermore, the amount of SN tract damage negatively correlated with FC between the networks. We confirmed these findings in a second group of TBI patients. Here, switching rather than inhibiting a motor response: (1) was accompanied by a similar increase in network FC in healthy controls; (2) was not seen in TBI patients; and (3) tract damage after TBI again correlated with FC breakdown. This shows that coupling between the rAI and DMN increases with cognitive control and that damage within the SN impairs this dynamic network interaction. This work provides compelling evidence for a model of cognitive control where the SN is involved in the attentional capture of salient external stimuli and signals the DMN to reduce its activity when attention is externally focused.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- The impact of an app-delivered mindfulness-based intervention on resting-state functional connectivity in pediatric concussion: a pilot study Frontiers in Neuroscience September 17, 2026
- Remodeling of the ventral attention network-default mode network as potential neural correlates of anxiety in lumbar disc herniation patients treated with lever positioning manipulation: a resting-state fMRI study. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies March 16, 2026
- Hallucinations: A Functional Network Model of How Sensory Representations Become Selected for Conscious Awareness in Schizophrenia. Frontiers in Neuroscience November 23, 2021
- Aerobic training modulates salience network and default mode network metabolism in subjects with mild cognitive impairment NeuroImage: Clinical August 22, 2018
- Gamma‐hydroxybutyrate increases brain resting‐state functional connectivity of the salience network and dorsal nexus in humans Neuroimage June 1, 2018
and 3 more in the library
Cites 3
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011
- The salience network causally influences default mode network activity during moral reasoning Brain April 9, 2013