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Future prediction: Why is the default mode network relevant for imagining the future?
With the advancement of neuroscience, research on the default mode network (DMN) has continued to deepen, revealing the importance of this neural network and its relevance in individual psychology and social behavior. Research shows that the DMN becomes active when the brain is not focused on the outside world, which means it may play a key role in predicting and imagining the future in our daily lives.
Many mental activities such as daydreaming and self-reflection are driven by the DMN, which habitually helps us construct self-narratives and think, plan, and reason with others.
Definition and Function of Default Mode Network
DMN is a comprehensive neural network that mainly includes the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, and angular gyrus. These areas become active when individuals think about themselves, remember the past, or plan for the future. Empirical evidence shows that the DMN is negatively correlated with the attention network, indicating that in some tasks, the roles of the DMN and the attention network are mutually exclusive.
Historical BackgroundThe default mode network is critical to the construction of self-awareness and personal identity, an internal narrative function that helps us make sense of the past and predict the future.
The idea that the brain continues to be active even when it is at rest has been around since the early 20th century, but it has long been ignored. By the 1990s, with the advent of PET scanning technology, researchers gradually revealed the role of the DMN in the functioning of brain structures. In 2001, Marcus E. Raichle first proposed the term "default mode", marking the beginning of DMN research and officially incorporating it into one of the main research topics in neuroscience.
DMN and brain function interaction
The function of DMN is not limited to passive rest, but involves a variety of mental activities. Its active times include thinking about others, remembering the past, and imagining the future, which are all integral to building a sense of self and social connection. During attention-demanding tasks, the DMN weakens to allow other neural networks to take over, whereas it reactivates during tasks involving internal goals.
In social situations, DMN activity is often associated with understanding others' emotions and self-reflection, suggesting its importance in social interaction and emotion cognition.
Clinical Relevance
Recent studies have shown that DMN plays an important role in a variety of mental health conditions. For example, people with Alzheimer's disease have significantly reduced DMN activity, and people with autism also have poorer DMN connectivity when they interact with others. Activity in the DMN is closely associated with memory formation and retrieval, which is why it is affected in many psychiatric disorders.
Future Outlook
As technology advances and research continues, we may have a clearer understanding of the role of the DMN in thinking, imagination, and social relationships in the future. Imagining the future will no longer be limited to individual inner activities, but may become an important tool for social interaction. Research on DMN not only helps us understand brain science, but may also have a profound impact on many fields such as education and psychotherapy.
In our quest to uncover the mysteries of the brain, can we find ways to enhance DMN activity, allowing us to be more mature and flexible in the face of social challenges?
