Shaped by the Past: The Default Mode Network Supports Cognition that Is Independent of Immediate Perceptual Input
PLoS ONE June 30, 2015 Mahiko Konishi, Donald George McLaren, Haakon Engen et al. 210 citations
The default mode network (DMN) is more active when people make decisions based on stored information from a previous trial than when they respond to current perceptual input. Using fMRI, the study found increased BOLD activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex when individuals recalled the location of a shape from the prior trial, and decreased activity when they judged the current location. This challenges the view of the DMN as merely task-negative or emotion-sensitive. Instead, the DMN's core hubs enable cognition to be guided by internal representations rather than immediate sensory input, explaining its involvement in higher-order thought such as imagining the future or considering another's perspective.