Fractionating the Default Mode Network: Distinct Contributions of the Ventral and Dorsal Posterior Cingulate Cortex to Cognitive Control
Journal of Neuroscience March 2, 2011 Robert Leech, Salwa Kamourieh, Christian F. Beckmann et al. 801 citations
The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a core region of the default mode network (DMN), shows distinct roles in attention depending on its dorsal and ventral parts. Using fMRI during a working-memory task, standard subtraction analysis showed overall deactivation with increasing difficulty. However, dual-regression functional connectivity revealed a dissociation: the ventral PCC reduced integration with the DMN and anticorrelation with the cognitive control network (CCN) as task demands rose, while the dorsal PCC increased DMN integration and anticorrelation with the CCN. At rest, the dorsal PCC connected with both DMN and attentional networks. These results indicate the PCC supports internally directed thought at low demands and that the dorsal PCC modulates dynamic interactions between networks for attention allocation.