Ongoing Brain Activity and Its Role in Cognition: Dual versus Baseline Models

Abstract

What is the role of the brain’s ongoing activity for cognition? The predominant perspectives associate ongoing brain activity with resting state, the default-mode network (DMN), and internally oriented mentation. This triad is often contrasted with task states, non-DMN brain networks, and externally oriented mentation, together comprising a “dual model” of brain and cognition. In opposition to this duality, however, we propose that ongoing brain activity serves as a neuronal baseline; this builds upon Raichle’s original search for the default mode of brain function that extended beyond the canonical default-mode brain regions. That entails what we refer to as the “baseline model.” Akin to an internal biological clock for the rest of the organism, the ongoing brain activity may serve as an internal point of reference or standard by providing a shared neural code for the brain’s rest as well as task states, including their associated cognition. Such shared neural code is manifest in the spatiotemporal organization of the brain’s ongoing activity, including its global signal topography and dynamics like intrinsic neural timescales. We conclude that recent empirical evidence supports a baseline model over the dual model; the ongoing activity provides a global shared neural code that allows integrating the brain’s rest and task states, its DMN and non-DMN, and internally and externally oriented cognition.

Externally provided rewards increase internal preference, but not as much as preferred ones without extrinsic rewards

“…However, the mechanisms underlying SIV in the IDM remain unclear. The recently proposed fundamental self-hypothesis [48,49,50,51,52,53,54] is considered relevant. This postulates that the self is a fundamental brain function that precedes and controls cognitive functions, such as perception, emotion, and reward, which has been proposed in studies of spontaneous brain activity [49,50,51] and the self-prioritization effect (SPE) [48,52,53,54] .…”

“…The recently proposed fundamental self-hypothesis [48,49,50,51,52,53,54] is considered relevant. This postulates that the self is a fundamental brain function that precedes and controls cognitive functions, such as perception, emotion, and reward, which has been proposed in studies of spontaneous brain activity [49,50,51] and the self-prioritization effect (SPE) [48,52,53,54] . In this hypothesis, the self is embedded in spontaneous brain activity, and when a stimulus appears, the default mode network (DMN), which is responsible for processing self-associated stimuli, interacts with a task-related network to influence cognitive processing.…”

Internally and Externally Oriented Perception of Music

“…The aspect that has emerged that sets music apart from other audio is its specific temporal structure (Kuck, 2003;Deliege et al, 1996;Lalitte and Bigand, 2006;Dubnoy, MacAdams, and Reynolds, 2006;Leman et al, 2005;Quinn and Watt, 2006;Sloboda, 1991;Dean, 2010). The temporal structure of music can impact two perspectives that interact: the externally oriented music features impact our externally oriented perception whereas the internally oriented features of music impact our internally oriented perception of music (Northoff et al, 2022;Fuschs, 2013;Gomex and Danuser, 2007). The externally perceived features are the objective features that create minor changes to the structure of the music whereas the internally perceived features are subjective and create major changes to the structure (Williams et al, 2022).…”

“…Therefore, we see that music perception has at least two distinct dimensions: externally oriented and internally oriented perception (Northoff et al, 2022;Fuschs, 2013;Gomex and Danuser, 2007). The externally oriented perception is that which can be objectively heard with the listeners ears and can be written on sheet music.…”

“…The features that contribute to the subjective experience include those that form the structure of audio such a frequency and timescale. Northoff et al (2022) shows an internally and externally oriented perception corresponding cognition through the dual model . The dual model describes internally oriented cognition and externally oriented cognition that work together to form spatio-temporal dynamics (Northoff et al, 2022).…”