Default Mode Network
Definition
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions active during daydreaming, self-reflection, and mental time travel. It shows altered patterns in people with aphantasia.
Detailed Explanation
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network that becomes active when we are not focused on external tasks but directed "inward." It includes the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and parts of the parietal lobe. The DMN is central to daydreaming, autobiographical remembering, future planning, and theory of mind. In people with aphantasia, the DMN shows altered activation patterns and reduced connectivity to visual areas. Studies suggest that integration between DMN and visual networks is important for vivid mental images. The DMN also plays a role in SDAM, as it is needed for mental time travel into personal memories.
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Related Terms
The prefrontal cortex is the foremost part of the frontal lobe and controls executive functions such as planning, decision-making, and impulse control. It also initiates and controls mental images.
Learn moreSDAM is a memory condition where episodic autobiographical memories are severely limited. Affected individuals cannot mentally return to past experiences, although factual knowledge is preserved.
Learn moreMental images are internal visual representations that arise without external stimuli. They enable seeing objects, scenes, or people before the "mind's eye," such as when remembering, dreaming, or planning.
Learn moreDo you have Aphantasia?
Take our VST-16 test and find out where you fall on the visualization spectrum.
To the VST-16 Test