Role of the Default Mode Network in Cognitive Transitions
Verity Smith, Daniel J Mitchell, John Duncan
Cerebral Cortex June 21, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy167 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Citations | 173 |
| Key findings | The default mode network shows large increases during brief rests and task restarts after rest, in addition to task switches, suggesting it encodes scene, episode, or context rather than being limited to internally focused thought. |
Abstract
A frequently repeated finding is that the default mode network (DMN) shows activation decreases during externally focused tasks. This finding has led to an emphasis in DMN research on internally focused self-relevant thought processes. A recent study, in contrast, implicates the DMN in substantial externally focused task switches. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we scanned 24 participants performing a task switch experiment. Whilst replicating previous DMN task switch effects, we also found large DMN increases for brief rests as well as task restarts after rest. Our findings are difficult to explain using theories strictly linked to internal or self-directed cognition. In line with principal results from the literature, we suggest that the DMN encodes scene, episode or context, by integrating spatial, self-referential, and temporal information. Context representations are strong at rest, but rereference to context also occurs at major cognitive transitions.
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 20
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- The architecture of the human default mode network explored through cytoarchitecture, wiring and signal flow Nature Neuroscience January 28, 2025
- Silence between words: Is solitude important for relatedness? Progress in Brain Research 2024
- The default mode network: A transmodal cortical system for enhancing cognition and sharing mental worlds in language-specific, culturally diverse ways. Cortex February 14, 2026
and 15 more in the library
Cites 6
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Neuroimage June 13, 2008
- Shaped by the Past: The Default Mode Network Supports Cognition that Is Independent of Immediate Perceptual Input PLoS One June 30, 2015
- Recruitment of the default mode network during a demanding act of executive control Elife April 13, 2015
- Escaping the here and now: Evidence for a role of the default mode network in perceptually decoupled thought Neuroimage December 20, 2012
and 1 more in the library