title: Rat brains also have a default mode network.
abstract: The default mode network (DMN) in humans has been suggested to support a variety of cognitive functions and has been implicated in an array of neuropsychological disorders. However, its function(s) remains poorly understood. We show that rats possess a DMN that is broadly similar to the DMNs of nonhuman primates and humans. Our data suggest that, despite the distinct evolutionary paths between rodent and primate brain, a well-organized, intrinsically coherent DMN appears to be a fundamental feature in the mammalian brain whose primary functions might be to integrate multimodal sensory and affective information to guide behavior in anticipation of changing environmental contingencies.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Programs, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Hanbing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Qihong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Marcus E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Raichle
authors.forename: Elliot A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Yihong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008954:Models, Biological; D009434:Neural Pathways; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity