Fluctuations of Attentional Networks and Default Mode Network during the Resting State Reflect Variations in Cognitive States: Evidence from a Novel Resting-state Experience Sampling Method
Laurens Van Calster, Arnaud D'Argembeau, Eric Salmon, Frederic Peters, Steve Majerus
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 2017 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Dorsal attention network activity fluctuates with subjective reports of attentional control, and default mode network activity increases during internal mentation but not during perception. |
Abstract
Abstract Neuroimaging studies have revealed the recruitment of a range of neural networks during the resting state, which might reflect a variety of cognitive experiences and processes occurring in an individual's mind. In this study, we focused on the default mode network (DMN) and attentional networks and investigated their association with distinct mental states when participants are not performing an explicit task. To investigate the range of possible cognitive experiences more directly, this study proposes a novel method of resting-state fMRI experience sampling, informed by a phenomenological investigation of the fluctuation of mental states during the resting state. We hypothesized that DMN activity would increase as a function of internal mentation and that the activity of dorsal and ventral networks would indicate states of top–down versus bottom–up attention at rest. Results showed that dorsal attention network activity fluctuated as a function of subjective reports of attentional control, providing evidence that activity of this network reflects the perceived recruitment of controlled attentional processes during spontaneous cognition. Activity of the DMN increased when participants reported to be in a subjective state of internal mentation, but not when they reported to be in a state of perception. This study provides direct evidence for a link between fluctuations of resting-state neural activity and fluctuations in specific cognitive processes.
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 10
- Whole-Brain Deactivations Precede Uninduced Mind-Blanking Reports Journal of Neuroscience August 29, 2023
- Where is my mind? A neurocognitive investigation of mind blanking. Trends in Cognitive Sciences March 12, 2025
- Behavioral, experiential, and physiological signatures of mind blanking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 30, 2025
- Individual variability in neural representations of mind-wandering bioRxiv Preprint Server January 20, 2024
- Decoding the phenomenology of spontaneous thought using large language-model ratings on verbal retrospective free reports bioRxiv Preprint Server April 22, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 15
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- 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 wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Two Distinct Neuronal Networks Mediate the Awareness of Environment and of Self Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience June 1, 2010
- Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought Brain Research April 15, 2011
and 10 more in the library