The 'Task' of Mind-Wandering Splits Both Multiple Demand and Default Mode Regions and Ramps-up the Deactivating Regions
1Department of Neuroscience, Bilkent University; Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Bilkent University.
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Summary
Deliberate thought, not just task demands, activates multiple demand (MD) brain regions. This finding suggests cognitive control networks engage even when the mind intentionally wanders, impacting brain activity patterns.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Brain Function
Background:
- Multiple demand (MD) brain regions are activated by tasks requiring cognitive control, such as attention and working memory.
- Demanding tasks often involve deliberative cognition, where mental processes are not automatic.
- The role of deliberativeness itself in activating MD regions, independent of task demands, remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the deliberativeness of cognition activates MD regions irrespective of task-related demands.
- To explore the neural correlates of intentionally wandering the mind during cognitive tasks.
Main Methods:
- Participants were instructed to deliberately and intensely wander their minds during specific task periods.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity.
- Activity patterns were analyzed in relation to task periods and rest periods.
Main Results:
- A subset of MD regions, including the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), anterior insula, and posterior middle frontal gyrus, showed activation during deliberate mind-wandering.
- Other regions, such as the intraparietal sulcus and right anterior prefrontal cortex, deactivated.
- Specific MD regions (e.g., preSMA) exhibited greater activation during deliberate mind-wandering than during demanding working memory tasks.
- Dissociations were observed in the Default Mode Network (DMN), with some areas deactivating and others activating.
- Deactivating regions showed increased activity over the duration of the 'task,' even in the absence of sequential organizing demands.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive deliberativeness, independent of task demands, can engage specific multiple demand (MD) brain regions.
- The findings reveal a dissociation within MD networks and the Default Mode Network (DMN) during intentional mind-wandering.
- The observed ramp-up in activity within deactivating regions suggests this pattern occurs in any defined task, not solely those with sequential demands.