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Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity As a Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Cognitive Function
Vaibhav Tripathi, Ishaan Batta, Andre Zamani, Daniel A Atad, Sneha K S Sheth, Jiahe Zhang, Tor D Wager, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli et al.. Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, 2025-01-09
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
The default mode network (DMN) is intricately linked with processes such as self-referential thinking, episodic memory recall, goal-directed cognition, self-projection, and theory of mind. In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of studies examining its functional connectivity, particularly its relationship with frontoparietal networks involved in top-down attention, executive function, and cognitive control. The fluidity in switching between these internal and external modes of processing, which is highlighted by anticorrelated functional connectivity, has been proposed as an indicator of cognitive health. Due to the ease of estimation of functional connectivity-based measures through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms, there is now a wealth of large-scale datasets, paving the way for standardized connectivity benchmarks. In this review, we explore the promising role of DMN connectivity metrics as potential biomarkers of cognitive state across attention, internal mentation, mind wandering, and meditation states and investigate deviations in trait-level measures across aging and in clinical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and others. We also tackle the issue of reliability of network estimation and functional connectivity and share recommendations for using functional connectivity measures as a biomarker of cognitive health.
Key findings
- In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of studies examining its functional connectivity, particularly its relationship with frontoparietal networks involved in top-down attention, executive function, and cognitive control.
- The fluidity in switching between these internal and external modes of processing, which is highlighted by anticorrelated functional connectivity, has been proposed as an indicator of cognitive health.
- Due to the ease of estimation of functional connectivity-based measures through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms, there is now a wealth of large-scale datasets, paving the way for standardized connectivity benchmarks.
- In this review, we explore the promising role of DMN connectivity metrics as potential biomarkers of cognitive state across attention, internal mentation, mind wandering, and meditation states and investigate deviations in trait-level measures across aging and in clinical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and others.
- We also tackle the issue of reliability of network estimation and functional connectivity and share recommendations for using functional connectivity measures as a biomarker of cognitive health.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39798799) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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APA 7th
Tripathi, V., Batta, I., Zamani, A., Atad, D. A., Sheth, S. K. S., Zhang, J., et al. (2025). Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity As a Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Cognitive Function. Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.12.016
Vancouver
Tripathi V, Batta I, Zamani A, Atad DA, Sheth SKS, Zhang J, et al. Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity As a Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Cognitive Function. Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.12.016. PMID: 39798799.
BibTeX
@article{tripathi2025-39798799,
author = {Tripathi, Vaibhav and Batta, Ishaan and Zamani, Andre and Atad, Daniel A and Sheth, Sneha K S and Zhang, Jiahe and Wager, Tor D and Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan and others},
title = {{Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity As a Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Cognitive Function}},
journal = {Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.12.016},
pmid = {39798799},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.12.016}
}