Intrinsic brain dynamics in the Default Mode Network predict involuntary fluctuations of visual awareness.
Dian Lyu, Shruti Naik, David K. Menon, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis
Nature Communications November 14, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34410-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study using simultaneous fMRI-EEG during a bistable visual task Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Visual perception |
| Key findings | Latent transient states in intrinsic EEG oscillations predicted upcoming involuntary perceptual transitions during a bistable visual task. The critical state was characterized by phase coupling between the precuneus, a Default Mode Network node, and primary visual cortex, and the interaction between this state's lifetime and the precuneus-to-V1 Granger-causal effect correlated with perceptual fluctuation rate. The authors argue that intrinsic Default Mode Network dynamics pre-empt the content of consciousness. |
Abstract
Brain activity is intrinsically organised into spatiotemporal patterns, but it is still not clear whether these intrinsic patterns are functional or epiphenomenal. Using a simultaneous fMRI-EEG implementation of a well-known bistable visual task, we showed that the latent transient states in the intrinsic EEG oscillations can predict upcoming involuntarily perceptual transitions. The critical state predicting a dominant perceptual transition was characterised by the phase coupling between the precuneus (PCU), a key node of the Default Mode Network (DMN), and the primary visual cortex (V1). The interaction between the lifetime of this state and the PCU- > V1 Granger-causal effect is correlated with the perceptual fluctuation rate. Our study suggests that the brain's endogenous dynamics are phenomenologically relevant, as they can elicit a diversion between potential visual processing pathways, while external stimuli remain the same. In this sense, the intrinsic DMN dynamics pre-empt the content of consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Unraveling the brain dynamics of Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder: a dynamic functional network connectivity analysis. BMC Psychiatry October 14, 2024
- The complexity of human subjective experience during binocular rivalry. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Exploring neural underpinning of Christian faith: How far can we go? Brain and Cognition July 9, 2026
Cites 16
- 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
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- Distilling the neural correlates of consciousness Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 17, 2011
- From cognitivism to autopoiesis: towards a computational framework for the embodied mind. Synthese 2018
and 11 more in the library