Open AccessDecoupling of the brain's default mode network during deep sleep
Author(s) -
Silvina G. Horovitz,
Allen Braun,
Walter Carr,
Dante Picchioni,
Thomas J. Balkin,
Masaki Fukunaga,
Jeff H. Duyn
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.0901435106
Subject(s) - default mode network , neuroscience , sustenance , consciousness , sleep (system call) , wakefulness , psychology , biology , functional magnetic resonance imaging , electroencephalography , computer science , ecology , operating system
The recent discovery of a circuit of brain regions that is highly active in the absence of overt behavior has led to a quest for revealing the possible function of this so-calleddefault-mode network (DMN). A very recent study, finding similarities in awake humans and anesthetized primates, has suggested that DMN activity might not simply reflect ongoing conscious mentation but rather a more general form of network dynamics typical of complex systems. Here, by performing functional MRI in humans, it is shown that a natural, sleep-induced reduction of consciousness is reflected in altered correlation between DMN network components, most notably a reduced involvement of frontal cortex. This suggests that DMN may play an important role in the sustenance of conscious awareness.