A critical role for the right fronto-insular cortex in switching between central-executive and default-mode networks

Cognitively demanding tasks that evoke activation in the brain's central-executive network (CEN) have been consistently shown to evoke decreased activation (deactivation) in the default-mode network (DMN). The neural mechanisms underlying this switch between activation and deactivation of large-scale brain networks remain completely unknown. Here, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the mechanisms underlying switching of brain networks in three different experiments. We first examined this switching process in an auditory event segmentation task. We observed significant activation of the CEN and deactivation of the DMN, along with activation of a third network comprising the…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 0449927
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: NS058899, HD047520
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada