Systemic Inflammation and Resting State Connectivity of the Default Mode Network
Anna L. Marsland, Dora C. H. Kuan, L. Sheu, K. Krajina, T. Kraynak, S. Manuck, Peter J. Gianaros
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity January 23, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2017.01.013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 98 |
| Population | Adults aged 30–54 (39% male; 81% Caucasian) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Plasma IL-6 covaried positively with sub-genual ACC connectivity and negatively with dorsal medial PFC connectivity within the DMN. |
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) encompasses brain systems that exhibit coherent neural activity at rest. DMN brain systems have been implicated in diverse social, cognitive, and affective processes, as well as risk for forms of dementia and psychiatric disorders that associate with systemic inflammation. Areas of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and surrounding medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) within the DMN have been implicated specifically in regulating autonomic and neuroendocrine processes that relate to systemic inflammation via bidirectional signaling mechanisms. However, it is still unclear whether indicators of inflammation relate directly to coherent resting state activity of the ACC, mPFC, or other areas within the DMN. Accordingly, we tested whether plasma interleukin (IL)-6, an indicator of systemic inflammation, covaried with resting-state functional connectivity of the DMN among 98 adults aged 30–54 (39% male; 81% Caucasian). Independent component analyses were applied to resting state fMRI data to generate DMN connectivity maps. Voxel-wise regression analyses were then used to test for associations between IL-6 and DMN connectivity across individuals, controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and fMRI signal motion. Within the DMN, IL-6 covaried positively with connectivity of the sub-genual ACC and negatively with a region of the dorsal medial PFC at corrected statistical thresholds. These novel findings offer evidence for a unique association between a marker of systemic inflammation (IL-6) and ACC and mPFC functional connectivity within the DMN, a network that may be important for linking aspects of immune function to psychological and behavioral states in health and disease.
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 6
- Psilocybin induces acute and persisting alterations in immune status in healthy volunteers: An experimental, placebo-controlled study Brain, Behavior, and Immunity September 7, 2023
- Neuroinflammation and neuroprogression in depression: Effects of alternative drug treatments Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health November 7, 2022
- Altered functional connectivity within the default mode network in two animal models with opposing episodic memories PLoS One September 18, 2018
- Mind over matter: the microbial mindscapes of psychedelics and the gut-brain axis. Pharmacological Research September 1, 2024
- Psilocybin induces acute and persisting alterations in immune status and the stress response in healthy volunteers medRxiv November 1, 2022
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