Intelligence, Task Difficulty, and the Regulation of Activity in the Brain's Default Mode Network.
Ulrike Basten, Rebecca A Rammensee, Rebekka Weygandt, Christian J Fiebach
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.a.2413 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | Young adults (34 female, 38 male) |
| Measures | nonverbal matrix reasoning test |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Nerve net Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Intelligence Decision making Psychomotor performance Adolescent Female Young adult |
| Key findings | More intelligent participants showed smaller task-related activity increases in frontoparietal, subcortical, and cerebellar regions across difficulty levels, but greater decreases in default mode network activity and greater increases in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus connectivity as task difficulty increased. The authors suggest this reflects more dynamic adjustment of neural processing to cognitive demands, though they caution the findings are preliminary due to the small sample. |
Abstract
Abstract: This study investigates intelligence-related differences in the adjustment of brain activity and connectivity to varying cognitive demands, testing for a moderation of an association between intelligence and neural efficiency by task difficulty. In 72 young adults (34 female, 38 male), fMRI brain activity changes during a decision-making task with five levels of difficulty were related to intelligence scores from a nonverbal matrix reasoning test. In frontoparietal, subcortical, and cerebellar regions activated during task processing, we observed smaller increases in brain activity in more intelligent participants—independent of task difficulty. However, in two regions of the default mode network, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and left angular gyrus, more intelligent participants showed greater decreases in activity with increasing task difficulty. Furthermore, with increasing difficulty, more intelligent participants showed greater increases in functional connectivity of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus. These findings suggest a more dynamic adjustment of neural processing to varying cognitive demands in more intelligent individuals. Particularly when it comes to more difficult tasks, more intelligent people seem to be better able to down-regulate activity in the brain's default mode network. Due to the relatively small sample size, these findings must be considered preliminary. While their interpretation should therefore be treated with caution, they suggest conceptually new avenues for replication in larger samples. As far as the observed processes reflect the suppression of task-unrelated neural processing and a better focus on the task at hand, they can potentially explain the general performance advantage of more intelligent individuals across various cognitive tasks.
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 |