A framework for understanding the relationship between externally and internally directed cognition

Dixon, Matthew L.; Fox, Kieran C. R.; Christoff, Kalina

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.05.024

Cited by 185 publications

(198 citation statements)

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“…This question has been previously explored mainly through the use of fMRI, and the prominent loci of activations have been found in the frontal lobes (reviewed in refs. 18,19). However, fMRI studies are necessarily correlational and cannot establish a causal link between behavior and the neural substrate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, fMRI studies found that the executive control network (16) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in particular have also been activated during mind-wandering tasking (10,12,17). These latter results have been taken as evidence to support the role of the executive control network in mind wandering (18,19). The extent to which executive function is involved in mind wandering has been debated over recent years (5,20), because executive function is associated with an external task focus (antithetical to mind wandering).…”

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confidence: 91%

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Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation

Axelrod

Rees

Lavidor

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

212

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Humans mind-wander quite intensely. Mind wandering is markedly different from other cognitive behaviors because it is spontaneous, self-generated, and inwardly directed (inner thoughts). However, can such an internal and intimate mental function also be modulated externally by means of brain stimulation? Addressing this question could also help identify the neural correlates of mind wandering in a causal manner, in contrast to the correlational methods used previously (primarily functional MRI). In our study, participants performed a monotonous task while we periodically sampled their thoughts to assess mind wandering. Concurrently, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We found that stimulation of the frontal lobes [anode electrode at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cathode electrode at the right supraorbital area], but not of the occipital cortex or sham stimulation, increased the propensity to mind-wander. These results demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that mind wandering can be enhanced externally using brain stimulation, and that the frontal lobes play a causal role in mind-wandering behavior. These results also suggest that the executive control network associated with the DLPFC might be an integral part of mind-wandering neural machinery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation

Axelrod

Rees

Lavidor

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

212

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The neuroimaging and neurological literatures were then synthesized with the literatures on dream content and on the gradual development of frequent and complex dreaming in children to create a neurocognitive theory of dreaming (Domhoff, 2001. Around the same time, a serendipitous discovery showed that a ''default'' network of brain regions is spontaneously active during restful states, and supports mind-wandering and daydreaming during waking (e.g., Addis, Wong, & Schacter, 2007;Andrews-Hanna, Reidler, Huang, & Buckner, 2010;Christoff, Gordon, Smallwood, Smith, & Schooler, 2009;Dixon, Fox, & Christoff, 2014;Kucyi & Davis, 2014;Mason et al, 2007). Not only is the default network activated during waking daydreaming; recent findings show that many hubs of the default network are even more active during REM sleep than at rest, augmented by secondary visual and sensorimotor cortices that support sensorimotor imagery (Chow et al, 2013;Fox, Nijeboer, Solomonova, Domhoff, & Christoff, 2013).…”

Section: Introduction and Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreaming and the default network: A review, synthesis, and counterintuitive research proposal

Domhoff

Fox

2015

Consciousness and Cognition

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“…Together, these results suggest that directed and spontaneous self-referential thoughts share many commonalities, but may differ in the extent to which they rely on effortful cognitive processes (see also Dixon, Fox, & Christoff, 2014). …”

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confidence: 71%

Mind-Wandering and Self-Referential Thought

D’Argembeau

2018

Oxford Handbooks Online

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When our mind wanders, we frequently experience thoughts, images, and feelings about ourselves and our life. These self-referential thoughts involve diverse contents and take various forms, but most often focus on specific future events that are closely related to our personal goals and concerns. Neuroimaging studies show that such spontaneous mentations recruit many of the same brain regions-largely corresponding to the default network-as directed self-referential thought. The medial prefrontal cortex is most consistently involved and might contribute to assign value and to integrate processed contents with autobiographical knowledge. The tendency of the wandering mind to focus on self-related information might foster our sense of personal identity and lay the foundation for long-term goal pursuit.Keywords: mind-wandering; task-unrelated thought; spontaneous thought; self; autobiographical memory; goals; future thinking; medial prefrontal cortex; default network 3 A fascinating feature of the human mind is its ability to temporarily disengage from current sensory input to mentally simulate alternatives to the here and now. During our daily activities, our minds indeed frequently drift away from the task at hand and focus on various thoughts and mental images that are only loosely (if at all) related to our immediate environment. These thoughts can be remarkably varied in their content and phenomenology, yet a bit of introspection readily indicates that many of them involve self-referential information-memories of personal experiences, anticipations of and plans about one's future, evaluations of one's personal characteristics and life situations, thoughts about one's social relationships, and so on. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the nature, neural correlates, and possible functions of such self-referential thoughts.

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A framework for understanding the relationship between externally and internally directed cognition

Cited by 185 publications

References 118 publications

Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation

Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation

Dreaming and the default network: A review, synthesis, and counterintuitive research proposal

Mind-Wandering and Self-Referential Thought

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