Default Mode Network Connectivity Is Associated with Capture by Distractors Assigned to Learned Spatial Regularities
Siyi Chen, Hermann J Müller, Zhuanghua Shi
bioRxiv April 27, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.64898/2026.04.22.720249 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational fMRI study using an existing visual-search dataset |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 33 |
| Population | Adult participants in an fMRI visual-search experiment, divided into two training groups based on which distractor dimension carried the spatial bias |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Higher within-DMN functional connectivity was associated with larger attentional capture scores for the biased distractor dimension, while capture by the unbiased dimension showed little corresponding relation. This positive association survived multiple controls, and exploratory edge-level analyses showed capture-associated positive edges concentrated around the DMN. The authors suggest DMN connectivity may relate to individual differences in vulnerability to distractors embedded in learned spatial-probability histories. |
Abstract
Learned spatial regularities can reduce attentional capture by salient distractors, but observers vary in how strongly such regularities shape distractor interference. We asked whether this variability is associated with default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity, a network measure linked to individual differences in attention, internally guided cognition, and contextual memory. Using an existing fMRI visual-search dataset (N = 33), we tested whether task-run DMN connectivity was related to capture by distractors assigned to a learned spatial-probability history. Participants belonged to two training groups that differed in which distractor dimension carried the spatial bias: same-dimension distractors in one group and different-dimension distractors in the other. This design allowed us to ask whether the DMN association followed the design-defined biased dimension rather than general distractibility or a fixed physical distractor feature, while considering that the biased dimension also involved greater exposure. Higher within-DMN connectivity was associated with larger capture scores for the biased distractor dimension, whereas capture by the unbiased dimension showed little corresponding relation. This association remained positive after controls for inter-trial priming, head motion, nuisance signals, task-regressor residualization, global-signal regression, motion scrubbing, and trial-level exposure history. Exploratory edge-level analyses provided descriptive convergence, showing that capture-associated positive edges were concentrated around the DMN. These findings suggest that DMN connectivity may relate to individual differences in vulnerability to distractors embedded in learned spatial-probability histories.
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 |