Lesion network mapping demonstrates that mind‐wandering is associated with the default mode network
Carissa L. Philippi, J. Bruss, Aaron D. Boes, F. M. Albazron, Carolina Deifelt Streese, E. Ciaramelli, David Rudrauf, Daniel Tranel
Journal of Neuroscience Research November 20, 2019 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24648 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Participants with brain injury and healthy comparison participants without brain injury |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Lesions affecting the default mode network, especially the left inferior parietal lobule, are associated with reduced mind-wandering frequency. |
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging research has consistently associated brain structures within the default mode network (DMN) and frontoparietal network (FPN) with mind‐wandering. Targeted lesion research has documented impairments in mind‐wandering after damage to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampal regions associated with the DMN. However, no lesion studies to date have applied lesion network mapping to identify common networks associated with deficits in mind‐wandering. In lesion network mapping, resting‐state functional connectivity data from healthy participants are used to infer which brain regions are functionally connected to each lesion location from a sample with brain injury. In the current study, we conducted a lesion network mapping analysis to test the hypothesis that lesions affecting the DMN and FPN would be associated with diminished mind‐wandering. We assessed mind‐wandering frequency on the Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI) in participants with brain injury (n = 29) and healthy comparison participants without brain injury (n = 19). Lesion network mapping analyses showed the strongest association of reduced mind‐wandering with the left inferior parietal lobule within the DMN. In addition, traditional lesion symptom mapping results revealed that reduced mind‐wandering was associated with lesions of the dorsal, ventral, and anterior sectors of mPFC, parietal lobule, and inferior frontal gyrus in the DMN (p < 0.05 uncorrected). These findings provide novel lesion support for the role of the DMN in mind‐wandering and contribute to a burgeoning literature on the neural correlates of spontaneous cognition.
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 8
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Mindfulness meditation increases default mode, salience, and central executive network connectivity Scientific Reports August 2, 2022
- Predicting lapses of attention with sleep-like slow waves. Nature Communications June 29, 2021
- Astrocytic Calcium and Default Mode Network Dysfunction in Early Stage AD Alzheimer's Disease - Diagnostics, Pathogenesis, and Treatment [Working Title] July 1, 2026
- Reduced mind-wandering and fewer depressive symptoms associated with damage to the medial prefrontal cortex and default mode network Neuropsychologia May 1, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 9
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Dynamic functional connectivity of the default mode network tracks daydreaming Neuroimage June 25, 2014
- Neural Correlates of Ongoing Conscious Experience: Both Task-Unrelatedness and Stimulus-Independence Are Related to Default Network Activity PLoS One February 14, 2011
- Damage to the default mode network disrupts autobiographical memory retrieval Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience May 2, 2014
and 4 more in the library