Hypostability in the default mode network and hyperstability in the frontoparietal control network of dynamic functional architecture during rumination

Rumination, a repetitive focus on negative thoughts, is linked to distinct patterns of brain network stability. During induced rumination, key default mode network (DMN) regions like the medial prefrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus showed decreased stability, while frontoparietal control network (FPCN) regions such as the inferior parietal lobule and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex exhibited increased stability compared to a distraction state. Stability in the medial prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule correlated with individual rumination traits. The findings suggest rumination involves dissociated dynamics: hypostability in the DMN and hyperstability in the FPCN.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The neural underpinnings of rumination can be characterized by its specific dynamic nature. Temporal stability is the stable and consistent representation of information by a distributed neural activity and connectivity pattern across brain regions. Although stability is a key feature of the brain's functional architecture, its profiles supporting rumination remain elusive. We characterized the stability of the whole-brain functional architecture during an induced, continuous rumination state and compared it with a well-constrained distraction state as the control condition in a group of healthy participants (N = 40). We further examined the relationship between stability in regions showing a significant effect on the rumination vs. distraction contrast and rumination traits. The variability of dynamic functional connectivities (FCs) among these regions was also explored to determine the potential coupling regions that drove the altered stability pattern during rumination. The results showed that rumination was characterized by a similar but altered stability profile compared with distraction and resting states. Comparison between rumination and distraction revealed that key regions of the default mode network (DMN), such as the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and bilateral parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), which showed decreased stability while frontoparietal control network (FPCN) regions, including the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), showed significantly enhanced stability in rumination compared with distraction. Additionally, stability in the MPFC and IPL was related to individual differences in rumination traits. Exploratory analysis of the variation in dynamic FCs suggested that higher stability in the IPL may be related to its less variable FCs with the PHG. Together, these findings implicated that rumination may be supported by the dissociated dynamic nature of hypostability in the DMN and hyperstability in the FPCN.