Two Distinct Neuronal Networks Mediate the Awareness of Environment and of Self
Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Athena Demertzi, Manuel Schabus, Quentin Noirhomme, Serge Brédart, Melanie Boly, Christophe Phillips, Andrea Soddu, André Luxen, Gustave Moonen, Steven Laureys
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience June 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2010.21488 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Precuneus Posterior cingulate Neuroimaging Resting State FMRI Parahippocampal gyrus Cognitive psychology Audiology Cognition Electroencephalography Temporal lobe |
| Citations | 460 |
| Key findings | External and internal awareness are anticorrelated and linked to distinct brain systems: intrinsic medial areas for internal awareness and extrinsic lateral fronto-parietal areas for external awareness. |
Abstract
Evidence from functional neuroimaging studies on resting state suggests that there are two distinct anticorrelated cortical systems that mediate conscious awareness: an "extrinsic" system that encompasses lateral fronto-parietal areas and has been linked with processes of external input (external awareness), and an "intrinsic" system which encompasses mainly medial brain areas and has been associated with internal processes (internal awareness). The aim of our study was to explore the neural correlates of resting state by providing behavioral and neuroimaging data from healthy volunteers. With no a priori assumptions, we first determined behaviorally the relationship between external and internal awareness in 31 subjects. We found a significant anticorrelation between external and internal awareness with a mean switching frequency of 0.05 Hz (range: 0.01-0.1 Hz). Interestingly, this frequency is similar to BOLD fMRI slow oscillations. We then evaluated 22 healthy volunteers in an fMRI paradigm looking for brain areas where BOLD activity correlated with "internal" and "external" scores. Activation of precuneus/posterior cingulate, anterior cingulate/mesiofrontal cortices, and parahippocampal areas ("intrinsic system") was linearly linked to intensity of internal awareness, whereas activation of lateral fronto-parietal cortices ("extrinsic system") was linearly associated with intensity of external awareness.
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 72
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Neural Correlates of Ongoing Conscious Experience: Both Task-Unrelatedness and Stimulus-Independence Are Related to Default Network Activity PLoS One February 14, 2011
- Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Resting State Networks and Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology 2012
and 67 more in the library
Cites 11
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Guiding the study of brain dynamics by using first-person data: Synchrony patterns correlate with ongoing conscious states during a simple visual task Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 22, 2002
- Messages from the Brain Connectivity Regarding Neural Correlates of Consciousness Experimental Neurobiology September 1, 2012
- Undirected thought: neural determinants and correlates. Brain Research October 8, 2011
- Assessment of consciousness with electrophysiological and neurological imaging techniques. Current opinion in critical care April 1, 2011
and 6 more in the library