Perturbation or Function? Intrinsic brain dynamics in the Default Mode Network predict involuntary fluctuations of visual awareness
Dian Lu, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis, Shruti Naik, David K. Menon
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Task-based simultaneous fMRI-EEG study |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key points | Latent transient states of about 100 ms in intrinsic EEG oscillations predicted upcoming involuntary perceptual transitions during a bi-stable visual task. The predictive state was marked by phase coupling between the precuneus and primary visual cortex, and the interaction between this state's lifetime and the precuneus-to-V1 causal effect correlated with the rate of perceptual fluctuation. The authors argue that intrinsic default mode network dynamics pre-empt the content of consciousness. |
Abstract
Abstract Brain activity is intrinsically organised into spatiotemporal patterns, but it is still not clear whether the intrinsic dynamical patterns are functional or epiphenomenal. Using a simultaneous fMRI-EEG implementation of a well-known bi-stable visual task, we showed that the latent transient states (~100-ms) in the intrinsic EEG oscillations can predict the 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 causal effect is correlated with the rate of perceptual fluctuation. Our study suggests that the brain’s endogenous dynamics are phenomenologically relevant, as they can trigger 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
Cites 13
- 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
- Mapping the self in the brain's default mode network Neuroimage February 15, 2016
- Whole-Brain Multimodal Neuroimaging Model Using Serotonin Receptor Maps Explains Non-linear Functional Effects of LSD. Current Biology September 27, 2018
- Can binocular rivalry reveal neural correlates of consciousness? Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences March 17, 2014
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