title: Nicotine effects on default mode network during resting state.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The default mode network (DMN), one of several resting-state networks (RSN) in the brain, is thought to be involved in self-referential thought, awareness, and episodic memories. Nicotine improves cognitive performance, in part by improving attention. Nicotinic agonists have been shown to decrease activity in regions within DMN and increase activity in regions involved in visual attention during effortful processing of external stimuli. It is unknown if these pharmacological effects also occur in the absence of effortful processing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to determine if nicotine suppresses activity in default mode and enhances activity in extra-striate RSNs in the absence of an external visual task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Within-subject, single-blinded, counterbalanced study of 19 non-smoking subjects who had resting functional MRI scans after 7 mg nicotine or placebo patch. Group independent component analysis was performed. The DMN component was identified by spatial correlation with a reference DMN mask. A visual attention component was identified by spatial correlation with an extra-striate mask. Analyses were conducted using statistical parametric mapping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nicotine was associated with decreased activity in regions within the DMN and increased activity in extra-striate regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suppression of DMN and enhancement of extra-striate resting-state activity in the absence of visual stimuli or effortful processing suggest that nicotine's cognitive effects may involve a shift in activity from networks that process internal to those that process external information. This is a potential mechanism by which cholinergic agonists may have a beneficial effect in diseases associated with altered resting-state activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA. jody.tanabe@ucdenver.edu
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nyberg
authors.forename: Laura F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cordes
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kronberg
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Tregellas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014796:Visual Perception
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine