Distinct individual differences in default mode network connectivity relate to off-task thought and text memory during reading
Meichao Zhang, Nicola Savill, Daniel S. Margulies, Jonathan Smallwood, Elizabeth Jefferies
Scientific Reports November 7, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52674-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Human participants |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Reading process Task project management Cognitive psychology Mode computer interface Cognition Linguistics Human–computer interaction |
| Citations | 48 |
| Key findings | Stronger intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network is linked to better text processing, while reduced coupling between the default mode network and visual regions may underpin individual variation in mind-wandering during reading. |
Abstract
Often, as we read, we find ourselves thinking about something other than the text; this tendency to mind-wander is linked to poor comprehension and reduced subsequent memory for texts. Contemporary accounts argue that periods of off-task thought are related to the tendency for attention to be decoupled from external input. We used fMRI to understand the neural processes that underpin this phenomenon. First, we found that individuals with poorer text-based memory tend to show reduced recruitment of left middle temporal gyrus in response to orthographic input, within a region located at the intersection of default mode, dorsal attention and frontoparietal networks. Voxels within these networks were taken as seeds in a subsequent resting-state study. The default mode network region (i) had greater connectivity with medial prefrontal cortex, falling within the same network, for individuals with better text-based memory, and (ii) was more decoupled from medial visual regions in participants who mind-wandered more frequently. These findings suggest that stronger intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network is linked to better text processing, while reductions in default mode network coupling to the visual system may underpin individual variation in the tendency for our attention to become disengaged from what we are reading.
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 5
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex supports context-dependent prioritisation of off-task thought Nature Communications August 23, 2019
- The neural correlates of ongoing conscious thought iScience February 2, 2021
- Distinctive and Complementary Roles of Default Mode Network Subsystems in Semantic Cognition Journal of Neuroscience April 8, 2024
- Effects of aging on the mechanisms of dynamic integration between the default mode network and other brain networks: evidence based on fMRI data with natural stimulation. Brain Imaging and Behavior August 4, 2026
Cites 8
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Default mode network can support the level of detail in experience during active task states Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences August 27, 2018
- Distant from input: Evidence of regions within the default mode network supporting perceptually-decoupled and conceptually-guided cognition Neuroimage January 12, 2018
- Recruitment of the default mode network during a demanding act of executive control Elife April 13, 2015
- Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex supports context-dependent prioritisation of off-task thought Nature Communications August 23, 2019
and 3 more in the library