The fading self in space-disruption of default spatial representation across neurological disorders.
Ravinder Jerath, Varsha Malani
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience December 29, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2025.1655500 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Schizophrenia Cognitive map Auditory hallucinations Body schema Dsr Default spatial representation |
| Key findings | Argues that diverse neurological and psychiatric conditions—including contralateral neglect, psychogenic paralysis, disorders of consciousness, autism, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depersonalization/derealization—may share a common etiology in the pathologic disintegration of a "default spatial representation" (DSR). The authors propose that this breakdown is associated with anomalous activation and connectivity in large-scale brain networks such as the default mode network and attention networks, and advocate a network-based diagnostic and treatment strategy aimed at restoring self-in-space. |
Abstract
Neurological disorders stem from an intermingled change to self-in-space. While many of these disorders present as spatial deficits-contralateral neglect syndrome, for example-they manifest from the same etiology: disruption to the brain's "default spatial representation" (DSR). DSR is a basic internally generated representation of space that delineates where the self is located in space-without attentional focus from an external drive. We review how pathologic disintegration of DSR is associated with anomalous activation and connectivity within distinct large-scale brain networks (e.g., the default mode network and a comprehensive attention-networked system), leading to a heterogeneous presentation of clinically assessed outcomes. The outcomes include psychogenic paralysis of limbs, left-side neglect, rectified sense of other locations, disorders of consciousness, symptoms related to autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depersonalization/derealization disorder. By consolidating evidence from neuroimaging, lesion-symptom mapping, and computational assessment, we aim to reconceptualize these disorders not as separate and independent maladies, but as manifestations of a deeper, shared etiology, supporting a network-based assessment strategy for diagnosis and treatment that seeks to restore self-in-space.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brain's Default Mode Network | 2015 | Review | |
| Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology | 2012 | Review | |
| 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis | 2023 | Review | |
| On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” | 2012 | Review | |
| The default mode network and social understanding of others: what do brain connectivity studies tell us Healthy subjects, with some studies on patients with autism and psychopathy | 2014 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Detecting Awareness in the Vegetative State Science September 7, 2006
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- Breakdown of Cortical Effective Connectivity During Sleep Science September 29, 2005
- Deactivation of the Default Mode Network as a Marker of Impaired Consciousness: An fMRI Study PLoS One October 19, 2011
and 4 more in the library