The Default Mode Network and Behavior: a Model to Analyse Psycho-Physiological Interactions in Resting State fMRI.
Emilio Sanz-Morales, Helena Melero
Brain Topography June 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-026-01223-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or methodological paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Behavior Functional connectivity Psycho-physiological interactions |
| Key points | Proposes that intrinsic connectivity networks are low to moderately related to behavioral and personality traits, or at least not in a direct way. |
Abstract
The Default Mode Network was a key finding for cognitive neuroscience, but being the result of a data-driven analysis of resting-state fMRI data, its psychological and clinical implications have been difficult to elucidate. This is because in the resting-state paradigm we cannot directly correlate an observable specific task with specific brain connectivity patterns, and therefore inferences about the relationship between particular cognitive domains and the resting-state networks are limited. A similar problem arises when trying to link the network with personality traits: the DMN, as other intrinsic networks, is not a simple metric to compare with the results of a psychological test, but a complex composite of spatio-temporal features. Although over the last two decades several research works have provided insights about these relationships, we still lack a consensus on the methodology that best captures these interactions. In this context, we propose an alternative method to model the psycho-physiological relationships of the resting state components with behavioral data, based on the dimensionality reduction of an extensive psychological evaluation and the spatial dimension of the intrinsic connectivity components. Our results show that the connectivity networks are low to moderately related with behavioral and personality traits, or at least this relation is not in a direct way. This integration of neuroimaging and psychological assessment data creates valuable pathways for cognitive neuroscience, potentially revealing with precision how intrinsic brain network organization relates to individual variations in cognitive functioning and personality dimensions.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- 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
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- The salience network is responsible for switching between the default mode network and the central executive network: Replication from DCM Neuroimage May 24, 2014
and 4 more in the library