The default network and the combination of cognitive processes that mediate self-generated thought.
Vadim Axelrod, Geraint Rees, Moshe Bar
Nature Human Behaviour December 4, 2017 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0244-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Functional MRI experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | FMRI Internal processing Internally directed cognition Mind wandering Self-generated cognition |
| Key findings | The authors report that several cognitive processes operated simultaneously during self-generated mental activity, each with specific and localized neural representations, and argue that internally directed experience may be achieved by pooling over multiple cognitive processes. |
Abstract
Self-generated cognitions, such as recalling personal memories or empathizing with others, are ubiquitous and essential for our lives. Such internal mental processing is ascribed to the Default Mode Network, a large network of the human brain, though the underlying neural and cognitive mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that our mental experience is mediated by a combination of activities of multiple cognitive processes. Our study included four functional MRI experiments with the same participants and a wide range of cognitive tasks, as well as an analytical approach that afforded the identification of cognitive processes during self-generated cognition. We showed that several cognitive processes functioned simultaneously during self-generated mental activity. The processes had specific and localized neural representations, suggesting that they support different aspects of internal processing. Overall, we demonstrate that internally directed experience may be achieved by pooling over multiple cognitive processes.
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 21
- Chain free association, creativity, and the default mode network Neuropsychologia March 17, 2018
- Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity Scientific Reports July 18, 2022
- Ongoing Brain Activity and Its Role in Cognition: Dual versus Baseline Models The Neuroscientist May 25, 2022
- Fruits of the Buddhism-science dialogue in contemplative research. Current Opinion in Psychology August 1, 2019
- Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity Correlate with Psychosocial Development in Contemplative Practitioners and Controls Brain Science May 30, 2021
and 16 more in the library
Cites 19
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience July 6, 2009
- On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011
and 14 more in the library