Volume 1124, Issue 1 p. 1-38

The Brain's Default Network

Anatomy, Function, and Relevance to Disease

Randy L. Buckner

Randy L. Buckner

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, USA

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Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna

Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Daniel L. Schacter

Daniel L. Schacter

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

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First published: 03 April 2008
Citations: 6,448
Address for correspondence: Dr. Randy Buckner, Harvard University, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Drive, Cambridge, MA 02148.
[email protected]

Abstract

Thirty years of brain imaging research has converged to define the brain's default network—a novel and only recently appreciated brain system that participates in internal modes of cognition. Here we synthesize past observations to provide strong evidence that the default network is a specific, anatomically defined brain system preferentially active when individuals are not focused on the external environment. Analysis of connectional anatomy in the monkey supports the presence of an interconnected brain system. Providing insight into function, the default network is active when individuals are engaged in internally focused tasks including autobiographical memory retrieval, envisioning the future, and conceiving the perspectives of others. Probing the functional anatomy of the network in detail reveals that it is best understood as multiple interacting subsystems. The medial temporal lobe subsystem provides information from prior experiences in the form of memories and associations that are the building blocks of mental simulation. The medial prefrontal subsystem facilitates the flexible use of this information during the construction of self-relevant mental simulations. These two subsystems converge on important nodes of integration including the posterior cingulate cortex. The implications of these functional and anatomical observations are discussed in relation to possible adaptive roles of the default network for using past experiences to plan for the future, navigate social interactions, and maximize the utility of moments when we are not otherwise engaged by the external world. We conclude by discussing the relevance of the default network for understanding mental disorders including autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.