Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Network functional connectivity associated with alpha and beta peak frequency in individuals

Abstract

Alpha- and Beta-frequency oscillatory waves are evident in resting-state electro- and magneto-encephalography (EEG, MEG). Higher peak frequencies for Alpha and Beta are associated with greater cognitive health. Aging slows down the alpha and beta waves which are also affected by mental states, disorders such as ADHD, and sleep deprivation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of resting-state brain activity reveals anti-correlation of very low frequency (< 0.1 Hz) fluctuations between two distributed cerebral cortical networks, the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN). DAN activation is related to attentional demands in extrinsic tasks, whereas DMN is associated with mind wandering, episodic memory retrieval, and intrinsic processing. Prior research has found that higher DAN-DMN anticorrelation is related to greater cognitive and mental health. Here, we investigated whether these two measures of cognitive and mental health are related to each other within individuals. We investigated resting-state Functional Connectivity (rsFC) between the DMN and DAN using fMRI and alpha and beta peaks from MEG using two large datasets (n=89 and n=189). We found that more robust anti-correlations between DMN and DAN regions are related to higher peak frequencies of alpha and beta rhythms in the brain. Subjects with higher alpha peak frequencies also show stronger positive within-network connectivity in both the DMN and DAN networks. Females show stronger correspondence between the two measures as compared to males. This association between two non-invasive cognitive neuroscience modalities adds to the growing literature on the biomarkers of cognitive and mental health.

Functional connectivity changes in meditators and novices during yoga nidra practice

“…DMN is involved in scene construction which activates when the brain projects itself into the past or the future or is engaged in thinking about others 42 . Alpha and beta wave activity is closely linked with DMN activations 43 , 44 , and could represent an integrated system. The dysfunction of DMN is associated with various mental disorders like Alzheimer’s disease 45 , anxiety, depression, and ADHD 46 .…”

Brain Connectivity Changes in Meditators and Novices during Yoga Nidra: A Novel fMRI Study

“…DMN is involved in scene construction which activates when the brain projects itself into the past or the future or is engaged in thinking about others 41 . Alpha and beta wave activity is closely linked with DMN activations 42,43 , and could represent an integrated system. The dysfunction of DMN is associated with various mental disorders like Alzheimer's disease 44 , anxiety, depression, and ADHD 45 .…”