Neural Correlates of Ongoing Conscious Experience: Both Task-Unrelatedness and Stimulus-Independence Are Related to Default Network Activity
David Stawarczyk, Steve Majerus, Pierre Maquet, Arnaud D’Argembeau
PLoS One February 14, 2011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016997 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational neuroimaging study using thought-probes during a go/no-go task Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants performing a go/no-go task while undergoing functional neuroimaging |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Citations | 315 |
| Key findings | Activity in midline default mode network regions (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate/precuneus, posterior inferior parietal lobe) was related to both the task-relatedness and stimulus-dependency of ongoing conscious experience, with additive effects of the two dimensions in midline regions. Lateral temporal DMN regions were specifically related to stimulus-independent reports. The authors argue that midline DMN regions support cognitive processes active during both internal thoughts and unfocused external attention, and that the DMN can be fractionated into subcomponents. |
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions that consistently shows higher activity at rest compared to tasks requiring sustained focused attention toward externally presented stimuli. The cognitive processes that the DMN possibly underlies remain a matter of debate. It has alternately been proposed that DMN activity reflects unfocused attention toward external stimuli or the occurrence of internally generated thoughts. The present study aimed at clarifying this issue by investigating the neural correlates of the various kinds of conscious experiences that can occur during task performance. Four classes of conscious experiences (i.e., being fully focused on the task, distractions by irrelevant sensations/perceptions, interfering thoughts related to the appraisal of the task, and mind-wandering) that varied along two dimensions ("task-relatedness" and "stimulus-dependency") were sampled using thought-probes while the participants performed a go/no-go task. Analyses performed on the intervals preceding each probe according to the reported subjective experience revealed that both dimensions are relevant to explain activity in several regions of the DMN, namely the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus, and posterior inferior parietal lobe. Notably, an additive effect of the two dimensions was demonstrated for midline DMN regions. On the other hand, lateral temporal regions (also part of the DMN) were specifically related to stimulus-independent reports. These results suggest that midline DMN regions underlie cognitive processes that are active during both internal thoughts and external unfocused attention. They also strengthen the view that the DMN can be fractionated into different subcomponents and reveal the necessity to consider both the stimulus-dependent and the task-related dimensions of conscious experiences when studying the possible functional roles of the DMN.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition | |
| Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers Treatment-seeking smokers, meditation-naïve, 12-hour abstinent | 2011 | Experimental study | n = 47 |
| DOI-Induced Activation of the Cortex: Dependence on 5-HT2AHeteroceptors on Thalamocortical Glutamatergic Neurons Rat | 2000 | Experimental study | |
| Noribogaine is a G-protein biased κ-opioid receptor agonist. | 2015 | Experimental study with binding experiments, functional assays, and computational simulations | |
| ‘Ecstasy’ as a social drug: MDMA preferentially affects responses to emotional stimuli with social content Healthy occasional MDMA users | 2014 | Within-subjects experimental design | n = 101 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought Brain Research April 15, 2011
- Dynamic functional connectivity of the default mode network tracks daydreaming Neuroimage June 25, 2014
- Default mode network can support the level of detail in experience during active task states Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences August 27, 2018
- Is the self a higher-order or fundamental function of the brain? The "basis model of self-specificity" and its encoding by the brain's spontaneous activity. Cognitive Neuroscience 2016
and 33 more in the library
Cites 9
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- 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
- Two Distinct Neuronal Networks Mediate the Awareness of Environment and of Self Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience June 1, 2010
- Mind-wandering: phenomenology and function as assessed with a novel experience sampling method. Acta Psychologica February 23, 2011
and 4 more in the library