RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Hello, is that me you are looking for? A re-examination of the role of the DMN in off-task thought
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 612465
DO 10.1101/612465
A1 Charlotte Murphy
A1 Giulia Poerio
A1 Mladen Sormaz
A1 Hao-Ting Wang
A1 Deniz Vatansever
A1 Micah Allen
A1 Daniel S. Margulies
A1 Elizabeth Jefferies
A1 Jonathan Smallwood
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/04/17/612465.abstract
AB Neural activity within the default mode network (DMN) is widely assumed to relate to processing during off-task states, however it remains unclear whether this association emerges from a shared role in self or social cognition. In the current study, we examine the possibility that the role of the DMN in ongoing thought emerges from contributions to specific features of off-task experience such as self-relevant or social content. A group of participants described their experiences while performing a laboratory task over a period of days. In a different session, neural activity was measured while participants performed self/other judgements. Despite the prominence of social and personal content in off-task reports, there was no association with neural activity during off-task trait adjective judgements. Instead, during both self and other judgements we found recruitment of caudal posterior cingulate cortex - a core DMN hub - was above baseline for individuals whose laboratory experiences were characterised as detailed. These data provide little support for a role of the DMN in self or other content in the off-task state and instead suggest a role in how on-going thought is represented.