Sustained activity within the default mode network during an implicit memory task.

Jiongjiong Yang; Xuchu Weng; Yufeng Zang; Mingwei Xu; Xiaohong Xu

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2009.05.002

Sustained activity within the default mode network during an implicit memory task.

Jiongjiong Yang, Xuchu Weng, Yufeng Zang, Mingwei Xu, Xiaohong Xu

Cortex May 18, 2009 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2009.05.002 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Observational fMRI study Peer reviewed
Population	Normal human subjects
Topics	Default mode network
Keywords	Neural pathways Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Photic stimulation Memory Pattern recognition, visual Reaction time Neuropsychological tests Female Young adult Recognition, psychology
Key findings	The authors report that default mode network activity was largely unchanged from baseline during an implicit memory task but strongly deactivated during an explicit memory task, except in the left angular gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus. They argue this pattern indicates the default mode network supports unconscious processing during implicit memory tasks and is suspended when explicit retrieval is required.

Abstract

Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that several brain regions--namely, the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and the bilateral angular gyrus--are more active during resting states than during cognitive tasks (i.e., default mode network). Although there is evidence showing that the default mode network is associated with unconscious state, it is unclear whether this network is associated with unconscious processing when normal human subjects perform tasks without awareness. We manipulated the level of conscious processing in normal subjects by asking them to perform an implicit and an explicit memory task, and analyzed signal changes in the default mode network for the stimuli versus baseline in both tasks. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis showed that the level of activation in regions within this network during the implicit task was not significantly different from that during the baseline, except in the left angular gyrus and the insula. There was strong deactivation for the explicit task when compared with the implicit task in the default mode regions, except in the left angular gyrus and the left middle temporal gyrus. These data suggest that the activity in the default network is sustained and less disrupted when an implicit memory task is performed, but is suspended when explicit retrieval is required. These results provide evidence that the default mode network is associated with unconscious processing when human subjects perform an implicit memory task.

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design
Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects	2008	Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis
Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects	2009	Experimental study using fMRI
Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects	2016	Experimental study
Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants	2013	Experimental study
The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers	2012	Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis

Citations in the library

Cited by 3

Cites 1

A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001