Mind-Wandering in Adolescents Predicts Worse Affect and Is Linked to Aberrant Default Mode Network-Salience Network Connectivity
Christian A. Webb, Elana S. Israel, Emily L. Belleau, L. Appleman, E. Forbes, D. Pizzagalli
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry June 12, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.03.010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 65 |
| Population | Adolescents ages 12–18 years (36 typically developing, 29 with anhedonia) |
| Duration | 5 days of ecological momentary assessment (2–3 surveys per day) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Adolescents with anhedonia mind-wander more frequently and to more unpleasant content than typically developing controls, and mind-wandering is associated with worse concurrent affect and altered brain connectivity. |
Abstract
Objective: Understanding the fluctuating emotional and cognitive states of adolescents with depressive symptoms requires fine-grained and naturalistic measurements. This study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to investigate the affective correlates and consequences of mind-wandering in adolescents with anhedonia (AH) and typically developing (TD) controls. In addition, we examined the association between mind-wandering and resting state functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a core hub of the Default Mode Network (DMN) linked to internally-oriented mentation, and networks linked to attentional control (Dorsal Attention Network; DAN) and affect/salience detection (Salience Network; SN).
Method: Sixty-five adolescents, ages 12–18 years (TD=36; AH=29) completed a resting state fMRI scan and subsequently used a smartphone application for EMA data collection (2–3 times/day for 5 days). Each survey (N=678) prompted adolescents to report on their current positive and negative affect (PA and NA), cognition and activity.
Results: The frequency of mind-wandering was higher for AH (70.0% of EMA samples) relative to TD (59.2%) participants, and the AH participants were more likely to mind-wander to unpleasant content. Mind-wandering was associated with higher concurrent NA, even when controlling for plausible confounds (eg, current activity, social companion, rumination). Time-lagged analyses revealed a bidirectional association between mind-wandering and PA. Greater levels of mind-wandering within the AH group were associated with stronger mPFC-SN/DAN connectivity.
Conclusion: Rates of mind-wandering were high, especially among adolescents with anhedonia, and predicted worse affect. The relation between mind-wandering and enhanced mPFC-SN coupling may reflect heightened bottom-up influence of affective and sensory salience on DMN-mediated internally-oriented thought.
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
- Personalized Prediction of Response to Smartphone-Delivered Meditation Training: Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of Medical Internet Research September 26, 2022
- The influence of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering and its mechanism Advances in Psychological Science 2023
- Neural Electrical Correlates of Subjective Happiness. Human Brain Mapping June 1, 2025
- Ecological Momentary Assessment as a Measure of Intervention Change: Evaluation in 4 Digital Mental Health Trials October 17, 2023
- Large-scale brain network differences during deliberate and spontaneous mind-wandering in a sustained attention task: An electroencephalography source-level connectivity study bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) January 23, 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 4
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- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Brief mindfulness meditation training reduces mind wandering: The critical role of acceptance. Emotion November 7, 2016
- Dismantling Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Creation and validation of 8-week focused attention and open monitoring interventions within a 3-armed randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy September 28, 2017