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 R. Nathan Spreng, Cheryl L. Grady 1,023 citations
A core brain network called the default mode network (DMN) supports three distinct self-referential processes: remembering the past, imagining the future, and understanding others' minds. Functional MRI scans revealed a common pattern of neural activation across all three processes within the DMN. Autobiographical remembering and prospection more strongly engaged midline DMN structures, while theory-of-mind reasoning more strongly engaged lateral DMN areas. Activity in a key DMN node, the medial prefrontal cortex, correlated with activity in other DMN regions during all three tasks. The findings suggest the DMN provides a shared neural foundation for simulating internal experiences.