Optogenetic stimulation of anterior insular cortex neurons in male rats reveals causal mechanisms underlying suppression of the default mode network by the salience network.
Vinod Menon, Domenic Cerri, Byeongwook Lee, Rui Yuan, Sung-Ho Lee, Yen-Yu Ian Shih
Nature Communications February 16, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36616-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical experimental study combining optogenetic stimulation with fMRI and computational modeling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male rat brain |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Feedforward optogenetic stimulation of Chronos-expressing anterior insular cortex neurons suppressed default mode network activity and decreased both AI-DMN and intra-DMN functional connectivity, which the authors argue demonstrates a causal mechanism for dynamic cross-network interactions and brain network switching. |
Abstract
The salience network (SN) and default mode network (DMN) play a crucial role in cognitive function. The SN, anchored in the anterior insular cortex (AI), has been hypothesized to modulate DMN activity during stimulus-driven cognition. However, the causal neural mechanisms underlying changes in DMN activity and its functional connectivity with the SN are poorly understood. Here we combine feedforward optogenetic stimulation with fMRI and computational modeling to dissect the causal role of AI neurons in dynamic functional interactions between SN and DMN nodes in the male rat brain. Optogenetic stimulation of Chronos-expressing AI neurons suppressed DMN activity, and decreased AI-DMN and intra-DMN functional connectivity. Our findings demonstrate that feedforward optogenetic stimulation of AI neurons induces dynamic suppression and decoupling of the DMN and elucidates previously unknown features of rodent brain network organization. Our study advances foundational knowledge of causal mechanisms underlying dynamic cross-network interactions and brain network switching.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat brains also have a default mode network Rats | 2012 | Observational study | |
| Large-scale topology and the default mode network in the mouse connectome Mouse brain | 2014 | Observational study | |
| Hippocampal Sharp-Wave Ripples Influence Selective Activation of the Default Mode Network Anesthetized monkeys | 2016 | Observational study | |
| Psilocybin-induced default mode network hypoconnectivity is blunted in alcohol-dependent rats Healthy rats and a rat model of alcohol relapse | 2023 | Randomized, placebo-controlled crossover pharmaco-fMRI study | |
| Altered functional connectivity within the default mode network in two animal models with opposing episodic memories Rats (control, LPS-challenged, and footshock-exposed groups) | 2018 | Animal model study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Two separate neural pathways, lateral and medial, for sensory decisions in mammals: switching of attention between the outer and inner cognitive worlds. Frontiers in Neuroscience 2025
- Synaptic Plasticity-Intrinsic Excitability and Antidepressant Discovery. Biomedicines June 1, 2026
- Does the Default Mode Network Mediate an Ongoing Internal Narrative? An Evaluation of Menon's (2023) Hypothesis. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience December 1, 2025
- Space wandering in the rodent default mode network. bioRxiv September 1, 2023
and 2 more in the library
Cites 13
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011
- The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world Nature Reviews Neuroscience January 22, 2021
- Rat brains also have a default mode network Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences February 21, 2012
- Large-scale topology and the default mode network in the mouse connectome Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 15, 2014
- Subcortical control of the default mode network: Role of the basal forebrain and implications for neuropsychiatric disorders Brain Research Bulletin May 1, 2022
and 8 more in the library