The architecture of the human default mode network explored through cytoarchitecture, wiring and signal flow
Casey Paquola, Margaret Garber, Stefan Frässle, Jessica Royer, Yigu Zhou, Shahin Tavakol, Raul Rodriguez-Cruces, Donna Gift Cabalo, Sofie L. Valk, Simon B. Eickhoff, Daniel S. Margulies, Alan C. Evans, Katrin Amunts, Elizabeth Jefferies, Jonathan Smallwood, Boris C. Bernhardt
Nature Neuroscience January 28, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01868-0 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Postmortem human brain tissue and in vivo human neuroimaging data |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Cytoarchitecture Human brain Neuroimaging Sensory system Nerve net Cognition |
| Citations | 58 |
| Key findings | The DMN is cytoarchitecturally heterogeneous, contains regions receptive to sensory input and a core insulated from it, and uniquely balances output across sensory hierarchies. |
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) is implicated in many aspects of complex thought and behavior. Here, we leverage postmortem histology and in vivo neuroimaging to characterize the anatomy of the DMN to better understand its role in information processing and cortical communication. Our results show that the DMN is cytoarchitecturally heterogenous, containing cytoarchitectural types that are variably specialized for unimodal, heteromodal and memory-related processing. Studying diffusion-based structural connectivity in combination with cytoarchitecture, we found the DMN contains regions receptive to input from sensory cortex and a core that is relatively insulated from environmental input. Finally, analysis of signal flow with effective connectivity models showed that the DMN is unique amongst cortical networks in balancing its output across the levels of sensory hierarchies. Together, our study establishes an anatomical foundation from which accounts of the broad role the DMN plays in human brain function and cognition can be developed.
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
- Astrocytic Calcium and Default Mode Network Dysfunction in Early Stage AD Alzheimer's Disease - Diagnostics, Pathogenesis, and Treatment [Working Title] July 1, 2026
- Sender-receiver subdivisions of the default mode network in perceptual and memory-guided cognition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 14, 2026
- The retrieval of previously learned motor memories is facilitated by the reinstatement of default mode network manifold structures. PLoS Biology March 10, 2026
- The Metacontinuum: Bridging cellular composition to cognitive functions in brain organization. Biosystems September 1, 2025
- Functions of the posterior cingulate cortex and default network Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences June 20, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 11
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- 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 default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
and 6 more in the library