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Karen D. Davis

2 papers in the library · 771 citations · publishing 2014

Papers

Enhanced Medial Prefrontal-Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Chronic Pain and Its Association with Pain Rumination

Journal of Neuroscience March 12, 2014 Aaron Kucyi, Massieh Moayedi, Irit Weissman‐fogel et al. 390 citations

In patients with chronic pain, rumination—repetitive focus on discomfort—is linked to altered functional connectivity in the brain's default mode network. In a study of 17 patients with temporomandibular disorder and 17 matched healthy controls, those with chronic pain showed enhanced connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and other default mode network regions, including the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. Among patients, greater rumination about pain correlated with stronger connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, retrosplenial cortex, medial thalamus, and periaqueductal gray. These results suggest that communication within the default mode network and with the descending pain modulatory system underlies the degree of rumination about chronic pain.

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5055-13.2014 Full text Default mode network Rumination Chronic pain Precuneus +8

Dynamic functional connectivity of the default mode network tracks daydreaming

NeuroImage June 25, 2014 Aaron Kucyi, Karen D. Davis 381 citations

Daydreaming is linked to how brain networks fluctuate over time, not just their average connectivity. In healthy adults, those who daydreamed more showed less stable connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and a part of the default mode network involved in future thinking. However, greater moment-to-moment variability in that same network's connectivity predicted more mind-wandering during a sensory task. The findings suggest that dynamic, rather than static, brain network activity reflects the conscious experience of daydreaming.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.06.044