The relationship between alpha burst activity and the default mode network.
Mateusz Rusiniak, Andrzej Wróbel, Katarzyna Cieśla, Agnieszka Pluta, Monika Lewandowska, Joanna Wójcik, Piotr Henryk Skarżyński, Tomasz Wolak
Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis 2018 DOI: 10.21307/ane-2018-010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | 36 young males |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Nerve net Neural pathways Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Electroencephalography Brain mapping Male Young adult |
| Key findings | The authors report that alpha bursting segments occur more often on default mode network source channels than over the occipital cortex, and that posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus bursting activity is linked to increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in default mode network nodes (precuneus and prefrontal cortex). They conclude that alpha activity has an occipital source plus additional specific sources within the default mode network. |
Abstract
Alpha rhythm, described by Hans Berger, is mainly recorded from the occipital cortex (OCC) of relaxed subjects with their eyes closed.Early studies indicated the thalamo‑cortical circuit as the origin of alpha rhythm. Recent works suggest an additional relationship between alpha rhythm and the Default Mode Network (DMN). We simultaneously recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals in 36 young males asked to alternately close and open their eyes in 30‑s blocks. Using an EEG source channel montage (the recorded signal was interpolated to designated source positions corresponding to certain brain regions) we found an alpha rhythm sub‑activity composed of its intrinsic events, called alpha bursting segments (ABS). More ABS were observed on source channels related to the DMN than those located over the OCC. Similarly, both the beamformer source analysis and fMRI indicated that the specific ABS activity detected on the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC) source channel was less related to the OCC than to the DMN source channels. The fMRI analysis performed using the PCC‑ABS as a general linear model regressor indicated an increased blood oxygenation level‑dependent signal change in DMN nodes - precuneus and prefrontal cortex. These results confirm the OCC source of alpha activity a nd additional specific sources of ABS in the DMN.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- 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 default mode network and EEG alpha oscillations: An independent component analysis Brain Research June 3, 2011
- Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 27, 2002