Altered functional connectivity within the default mode network in two animal models with opposing episodic memories
Mu-Huo Ji, Jiangyan Xia, Xiaohui Tang, Jianjun Yang
PLoS One September 18, 2018 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202661 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal model study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats (control, LPS-challenged, and footshock-exposed groups) |
| Interventions | Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) footshocks |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key points | LPS challenge and footshocks induced opposing episodic memories in rats, and default-mode network functional connectivity differed among the groups. The LPS group had significantly increased retrosplenial cortex-medial prefrontal cortex connectivity versus controls, while the PTSD group showed significantly decreased connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and the right visual cortex, insular lobe, left piriform cortex, and left sensory cortex compared with the LPS group. |
Abstract
Memory enhancement and memory decline are two opposing cognitive performances commonly observed in clinical practice, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these two different phenomena remain poorly understood. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the default-mode network (DMN) is implicated in diverse cognitive, social, and affective processes. In the present study, we used the retrosplenial cortex as a seed region to study the functional connectivity within the DMN in two animal models with opposing episodic memories, of which memory enhancement was induced by footshocks to mimic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and memory decline was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge to mimic sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Our results showed that LPS challenge and footshocks induced opposing episodic memories. With regard to the imaging data, there were significant differences in the functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), insular lobe, left piriform cortex, left sensory cortex, and right visual cortex among the three groups. Post-hoc comparisons showed the LPS group had a significantly increased functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and mPFC as compared with the control group. Compared with the LPS group, the PTSD group displayed significantly decreased functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and the right visual cortex, retrosplenial cortex, insular lobe, left piriform cortex, and left sensory cortex. In summary, our study suggests that there is a significant difference in the functional connectivity within the DMN between SAE and PTSD rats.
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 | |
| Psilocybin triggers an activity-dependent rewiring of large-scale cortical networks Mice | 2025 | Experimental study in mice |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- 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
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Rat brains also have a default mode network Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences February 21, 2012
- Shaped by the Past: The Default Mode Network Supports Cognition that Is Independent of Immediate Perceptual Input PLoS One June 30, 2015
- Internal and external attention and the default mode network Neuroimage January 18, 2017
and 4 more in the library