Externally-Focused Task Switch Activity in the 'Internally-Directed' Default Mode Network
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Healthy adults performing a task switch experiment |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | The DMN showed activation increases during externally-focused task switches, brief rests, and task restarts after rest, in addition to replicating previous task switch effects. The authors propose that the DMN encodes scene, episode, or context by integrating spatial, self-referential, and temporal information. |
Abstract
A frequently repeated finding is that the default mode network (DMN) shows activation decreases during externally-focused tasks. This finding has led to an emphasis in DMN research on internally-focused self-relevant thought processes. A recent study, in contrast, implicates the DMN in substantial externally-focused task switches. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we scanned 24 participants performing a task switch experiment. Whilst replicating previous DMN task switch effects, we also found large DMN increases for brief rests as well as task restarts after rest. Our findings are difficult to explain using theories strictly linked to internal or self-directed cognition. In line with principal results from the literature, we suggest that the DMN encodes scene, episode or context, by integrating spatial, self-referential and temporal information. Context representations are strong at rest, but re-reference to context also occurs at major cognitive transitions.
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
Cites 4
- 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 precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Neuroimage June 13, 2008
- Recruitment of the default mode network during a demanding act of executive control Elife April 13, 2015
- Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 27, 2002