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Large-scale topology and the default mode network in the mouse connectome

James M. Stafford, Benjamin R. Jarrett, Oscar Miranda Dominguez, Brian D. Mills, Nicholas Cain, Stefan Mihalas, Garet P. Lahvis, K. Matthew Lattal, Suzanne H. Mitchell, Stephen V. David, John D. Fryer, Joel T. Nigg, Damien A. Fair

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 15, 2014 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1404346111 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study Peer reviewed
Population Mouse brain
Topics Default mode network
Citations 261
Key findings Resting-state functional connectivity MRI in mice reveals large-scale network properties and a potential default mode network that align with structural connectivity, supporting its use as a translational bridge to human brain imaging.

Abstract

Noninvasive functional imaging holds great promise for serving as a translational bridge between human and animal models of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, despite a depth of knowledge of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of atypical processes in mouse models, little is known about the large-scale functional architecture measured by functional brain imaging, limiting translation to human conditions. Here, we provide a robust processing pipeline to generate high-resolution, whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) images in the mouse. Using a mesoscale structural connectome (i.e., an anterograde tracer mapping of axonal projections across the mouse CNS), we show that rs-fcMRI in the mouse has strong structural underpinnings, validating our procedures. We next directly show that large-scale network properties previously identified in primates are present in rodents, although they differ in several ways. Last, we examine the existence of the so-called default mode network (DMN)--a distributed functional brain system identified in primates as being highly important for social cognition and overall brain function and atypically functionally connected across a multitude of disorders. We show the presence of a potential DMN in the mouse brain both structurally and functionally. Together, these studies confirm the presence of basic network properties and functional networks of high translational importance in structural and functional systems in the mouse brain. This work clears the way for an important bridge measurement between human and rodent models, enabling us to make stronger conclusions about how regionally specific cellular and molecular manipulations in mice relate back to humans.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on default mode network, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Rat brains also have a default mode network Rats 2012 Observational study
Hippocampal Sharp-Wave Ripples Influence Selective Activation of the Default Mode Network Anesthetized monkeys 2016 Observational study
Psilocybin-induced default mode network hypoconnectivity is blunted in alcohol-dependent rats Healthy rats and a rat model of alcohol relapse 2023 Randomized, placebo-controlled crossover pharmaco-fMRI study
Altered functional connectivity within the default mode network in two animal models with opposing episodic memories Rats (control, LPS-challenged, and footshock-exposed groups) 2018 Animal model study
Psilocybin triggers an activity-dependent rewiring of large-scale cortical networks Mice 2025 Experimental study in mice

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