Default mode network can support the level of detail in experience during active task states

Sormaz, Mladen; Murphy, Charlotte; Wang, Hao-Ting; Hymers, Mark; Karapanagiotidis, Theodoros; Poerio, Giulia L.; Margulies, Daniel S.; Jefferies, Elizabeth; Smallwood, Jonathan

doi:10.1073/pnas.1721259115

Cited by 253 publications

(287 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…These observations lead us to speculate that DMN underlies a cognitive process for abstraction of concepts. This interpretation is consistent with findings from several prior studies [48,49]. For example, Spunt et al has shown that conceptualizing the same action at an increasingly higher level of abstraction gives rise to an increasingly greater responses at regions within DMN [49].…”

Section: The Role Of Default-mode Network In Semantic Processingsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Our results suggest that DMN is involved in cortical processing of not only concepts but also semantic relations. This finding underscores the fact that the DMN plays an active role in language and cognition [10,[45][46][47][48], rather than only a task-negative and default mode of brain function [31]. In particular, several semantic relationships, such as "whole-part" and "class-inclusion", are all mapped onto DMN ( Fig.…”

Section: The Role Of Default-mode Network In Semantic Processingmentioning

confidence: 67%

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Connecting Concepts in the Brain by Mapping Cortical Representations of Semantic Relations

Zhang¹,

Han²,

Worth

et al. 2019

Preprint

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AbstractIn the brain, the semantic system is thought to store concepts. However, little is known about how it connects different concepts and infers semantic relations. To address this question, we collected hours of functional magnetic resonance imaging data from human subjects listening to natural stories. We developed a predictive model of the voxel-wise response and further applied it to thousands of new words. Our results suggest that both semantic categories and relations are represented by spatially overlapping cortical patterns, instead of anatomically segregated regions. Semantic relations that reflect conceptual progression from concreteness to abstractness are represented by cortical patterns of activation in the default mode network and deactivation in the frontoparietal attention network. We conclude that the human brain uses distributed networks to encode not only concepts but also relationships between concepts. In particular, the default mode network plays a central role in semantic processing for abstraction of concepts.

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Section: The Role Of Default-mode Network In Semantic Processingsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: The Role Of Default-mode Network In Semantic Processingmentioning

confidence: 67%

Connecting Concepts in the Brain by Mapping Cortical Representations of Semantic Relations

Zhang¹,

Han²,

Worth

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…While the probes are part of the task and an indication of whether the participant is paying attention, we acknowledge that including them in the analyses may have added some additional confounding elements related to memory and decision‐making processes. Finally, because of the general limitations of the dichotomous nature of collecting MW reports used herein, specific investigation of the brain mechanisms of MW as a function of the content of “off task” reports is beyond the scope or capability of this methodology (Karapanagiotidis et al, ; Sormaz et al, for focus on the content of MW).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-generated thoughts that are elaborated in detail and relying on autobiographical memory or deliberate MW processes may be more prominently associated with DN, as revealed by emerging research (Golchert et al, 2017;Sormaz et al, 2018;Spreng et al, 2014;Spreng et al, 2010). Indeed, accumulating evidence has suggested that the link between DN and MW is more complex than initially conceived (e.g., Murphy, Poerio, et al, 2019;Sormaz et al, 2018;Turnbull et al, 2019) and "patterns of activity within the DMN are neither necessary nor sufficient to determine if attention is directed away from the task" (Sormaz et al, 2018, p. 9321).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic brain network configurations during rest and an attention task with frequent occurrence of mind wandering

Denkova

Nomi

Uddin

et al. 2019

Human Brain Mapping

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Mind wandering (MW) has become a prominent topic of neuroscientific investigation due to the importance of understanding attentional processes in our day‐to‐day experiences. Emerging evidence suggests a critical role for three large‐scale brain networks in MW: the default network (DN), the central executive network (CEN), and the salience network (SN). Advances in analytical methods for neuroimaging data (i.e., dynamic functional connectivity, DFC) demonstrate that the interactions between these networks are not static but dynamically fluctuate over time (Chang & Glover, 2010, NeuroImage, 50(1), 81–98). While the bulk of the evidence comes from studies involving resting‐state functional MRI, a few studies have investigated DFC during a task. Direct comparison of DFC during rest and task with frequent MW is scarce. The present study applies the DFC method to neuroimaging data collected from 30 participants who completed a resting‐state run followed by two runs of sustained attention to response task (SART) with embedded probes indicating a high prevalence of MW. The analysis identified five DFC states. Differences between rest and task were noted in the frequency of three DFC states. One DFC state characterized by negative DN–CEN/SN connectivity along with positive CEN–SN connectivity was more frequently observed during task vs. rest. Two DFC states, one of which was characterized by weaker connectivity between networks, were more frequently observed during rest than task. These findings suggest that the dynamic relationships between brain networks may vary as a function of whether ongoing cognitive activity unfolds in an “unconstrained” manner during rest or is “constrained” by task demands.

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“…Consistent with this view, studies highlight attention and control systems as important in the prioritisation and maintenance of patterns of thought in a context-appropriate manner 14,15 . In contrast, activity patterns within regions allied to the default mode network (DMN), are associated with features of experience that are closely tied to the nature of the representations of the thoughts themselves [16][17][18][19][20] . In healthy participants, for example, changes in activity within the default mode network are linked to patterns of experience with rich subjective details in both episodic memory and working memory tasks contexts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurocognitive patterns dissociating semantic processing from executive control are linked to more detailed off-task mental time travel

Wang

Bzdok

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

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Features of ongoing experience are common across individuals and cultures. However, certain people express specific patterns to a greater extent than others. The current psychological theory assumes that individual differences in thought patterns occur because different types of experience depend on differences in associated neurocognitive mechanisms. Consequently, individual variation in the underlying neurocognitive architecture is hypothesised to determine the ease with which certain thought patterns are generated or maintained. Our study (N=178) tested this hypothesis using multivariate pattern analysis to infer shared variance among measures of cognitive function and neural organisation and examined whether these hidden structures explain reports of the patterns of on-going thoughts people experienced in the lab. We found that relatively better performance on tasks requiring primarily semantic knowledge, rather than executive control, was linked to a neural functional organisation that was associated, via meta-analysis, with task labels related to semantic associations (sentence processing, reading and verbal semantics). Variability of this functional mode predicted significant individual variation in the types of thoughts that individuals experienced in the laboratory: Neurocognitive patterns linked to better performance at tasks that required guidance from semantic representation, rather than those dependent on executive control, were associated with patterns of thought characterised by greater subjective detail and a focus on time periods other than the here and now. These relationships were consistent across different days and did not vary with task condition, indicating they are relatively stable features of an individual's cognitive profile.Together these data confirm that individual variation in aspects of ongoing experience can be inferred from hidden neurocognitive architecture and demonstrate that performance trade-offs between executive control and long term semantic knowledge are linked to a person's tendency to imagine situations that transcend the here and now.

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Default mode network can support the level of detail in experience during active task states

Cited by 253 publications

References 48 publications

Connecting Concepts in the Brain by Mapping Cortical Representations of Semantic Relations

Connecting Concepts in the Brain by Mapping Cortical Representations of Semantic Relations

Dynamic brain network configurations during rest and an attention task with frequent occurrence of mind wandering

Neurocognitive patterns dissociating semantic processing from executive control are linked to more detailed off-task mental time travel

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