Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

What we talk about when we talk about the default mode network

Callard, Felicity; Margulies, Daniel

What we talk about when we talk about the default mode network Thumbnail


Authors

Felicity Callard

Daniel Margulies



Abstract

The default mode network (DMN) has been widely defined as a set of brain regions that are engaged when people are in a “resting state” (left to themselves in a scanner, with no explicit task instruction). The network emerged as a scientific object in the early twenty-first century, and in just over a decade has become the focus of intense empirical and conceptual neuroscientific inquiry. In this Perspective, we contribute to the work of critical neuroscience by providing brief reflections on the birth, working life, and future of the DMN. We consider: how the DMN emerged through the convergence of distinct lines of scientific investigation; controversies surrounding the definition, function and localization of the DMN; and the lines of interdisciplinary investigation that the DMN has helped to enable. We conclude by arguing that one of the most pressing issues in the field in 2014 is to understand how the mechanisms of thought are related to the function of brain dynamics. While the DMN has been central in allowing the field to reach this point, it is not inevitable that the DMN itself will remain at the heart of future investigations of this complex problem.

Citation

Callard, F., & Margulies, D. (2014). What we talk about when we talk about the default mode network. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, Article 619. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00619

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 23, 2014
Publication Date Aug 25, 2014
Deposit Date Feb 18, 2016
Publicly Available Date Feb 22, 2016
Journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Publisher Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Article Number 619
DOI https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00619
Keywords Functional connectivity, Neuroanatomy, Resting state, fMRI, History of cognitive neuroscience, Mind wandering.

Files

Published Journal Article (376 Kb)
PDF

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2014 Callard and Margulies. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations