The default mode network and EEG alpha oscillations: An independent component analysis
Brain Research June 3, 2011 Gennady G. Knyazev, Jaroslav Y. Slobodskoj-Plusnin, Andrey V. Bocharov et al. 261 citations
The default mode network (DMN), typically studied with PET and fMRI, has inconsistent support in EEG research. This study tested whether blind decomposition methods could identify DMN-like spatial patterns in EEG data across traditional frequency bands, and whether those patterns relate to task demands. Data were collected during rest, an explicit facial affect judgment task, and a social game task. Only alpha band patterns overlapped substantially with the DMN and correlated with DMN-related functions. Spontaneous self-referential thoughts during rest were linked to enhanced alpha activity in the posterior DMN hub, while processing external stimuli disrupted this activity and caused partial alpha phase-locking. This suggests alpha oscillations primarily synchronize internal mental processes rather than processing external stimuli.