Persistent operational synchrony within brain default-mode network and self-processing operations in healthy subjects

• Published in: Brain and cognition Vol. 75; no. 2; pp. 79 - 90
• Main Authors: Fingelkurts, Andrew A., Fingelkurts, Alexander A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alpha rhythm; Behavior Patterns; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Brain operations; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive Processes; Comparative Analysis; Default mode; EEG; Electroencephalography; Electrophysiology; Evaluation Methods; Functional connectivity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Metastability; Nerve Net - physiology; Neurology; Neurophysiological pattern; Perspective Taking; Physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Resting state; Science Education; Spatial Ability; Synchronization; Task Analysis; Neurophysiological pattern; Functional connectivity; Alpha rhythm; Resting state; Brain operations; EEG; Default mode; Synchronization; Metastability; Human; Healthy subject; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Electroencephalography; Self; Encephalon; Neurophysiology; Rest
• ISSN: 0278-2626; 1090-2147; 1090-2147
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2010.11.015

Based on the theoretical analysis of self-consciousness concepts, we hypothesized that the spatio-temporal pattern of functional connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN) should persist unchanged across a variety of different cognitive tasks or acts, thus being task-unrelated. This supposition is in contrast with current understanding that DMN activated when the subjects are resting and deactivated during any attention-demanding cognitive tasks. To test our proposal, we used, in retrospect, the results from our two early studies (Fingelkurts, 1998; Fingelkurts et al., 2003). In both studies for the majority of experimental trails we indeed found a constellation of operationally synchronized cortical areas (indexed as DMN) that was persistent across all studied experimental conditions in all subjects. Furthermore, we found three major elements comprising this DMN: two symmetrical occipito-parieto-temporal and one frontal spatio-temporal patterns. This new data directly supports the notion that DMN has a specific functional connotation – it provides neurophysiologic basis for self-processing operations, namely first-person perspective taking and an experience of agency.