title: How do we decide what to do? Resting-state connectivity patterns and components of self-generated thought linked to the development of more concrete personal goals.
abstract: Human cognition is not limited to the available environmental input but can consider realities that are different to the here and now. We describe the cognitive states and neural processes linked to the refinement of descriptions of personal goals. When personal goals became concrete, participants reported greater thoughts about the self and the future during mind-wandering. This pattern was not observed for descriptions of TV programmes. Connectivity analysis of participants who underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed neural traits associated with this pattern. Strong hippocampal connectivity with ventromedial pre-frontal cortex was common to better-specified descriptions of goals and TV programmes, while connectivity between hippocampus and the pre-supplementary motor area was associated with individuals whose goals were initially abstract but became more concrete over the course of the experiment. We conclude that self-generated cognition that arises during the mind-wandering state can allow goals to be refined, and this depends on neural systems anchored in the hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, UK.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Medea
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, UK.
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karapanagiotidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, UK.
authors.forename: Mahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ottaviani
authors.affiliation: Neuroanatomy and Connectivity Group, Max Planck Institute for Human and Cognitive Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Margulies
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernasconi
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bernasconi
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Boris C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jefferies
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, UK. jonny.smallwood@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smallwood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D063132:Connectome / Q000379:methods*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Future thought; Goals; Hippocampus; Mind-wandering