Abstract
Continued advancement of sophisticated imaging procedures over the last decades has allowed the assessment of large-scale functional-anatomic brain networks. Among the identified networks, a frequently investigated system is the so-called default network. This network was originally identified as a set of brain regions consistently deactivated during tasks that require externally oriented attention. Later imaging studies showed that this network is active during internally focused cognitive processes such as moral decision-making and planning of future behavior, and also that it can reliably be identified during resting conditions. A growing number of studies indicate that various brain disorders are associated with dysfunction of brain networks, leading to the notion that measures of functional network integrity may serve as marker of neurologic and psychiatric disease states. For instance, disconnection of default network regions seems evident in very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and a striking topographical overlap has been shown between default network regions and the spatial distribution of different diagnostic markers of Alzheimer’s disease such as amyloid deposition, hypometabolism, and brain atrophy. In this chapter, we cover milestones that led to the discovery of the default network, methodological advancements that allow more precise measurements of neuronal networks, pitfalls of functional network measures, and a number of potential clinical applications.
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Van Dijk, K.R.A., Drzezga, A. (2021). The Default Network of the Brain. In: Dierckx, R.A.J.O., Otte, A., de Vries, E.F.J., van Waarde, A., Leenders, K.L. (eds) PET and SPECT in Neurology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53168-3_7
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