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A default mode of brain function.

M E Raichle1, A M MacLeod, A Z Snyder

  • 1Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology and Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. marc@npg.wustl.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 24, 2001
PubMed
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Researchers identified a stable baseline state in the adult human brain using the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). This baseline is disrupted during goal-directed behaviors, suggesting a default brain function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Physiology
  • Brain Imaging

Background:

  • Understanding complex systems requires a baseline state.
  • Defining a baseline for the human brain is challenging due to its complexity.
  • Previous research suggested unpredictable brain activity without constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and define a baseline state of the normal adult human brain.
  • To investigate the brain oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) as a measure of this baseline.
  • To understand how this baseline state changes during various behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized quantitative metabolic and circulatory measurements from positron-emission tomography (PET).
  • Measured the brain oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) regionally throughout the brain.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Correlated OEF deviations with functional MRI signals during goal-directed behaviors.

    • Main Results:

    • Identified a remarkably uniform OEF in the awake, resting adult human brain.
    • Observed that deviations from the mean OEF were primarily increases (deactivations), mainly in the visual system.
    • Found that decreases from the baseline OEF occur during goal-directed behaviors.

    Conclusions:

    • The study defines a baseline state for the human brain based on OEF.
    • Consistent decreases in OEF during goal-directed behaviors suggest a default mode of brain function.
    • This default mode is suspended during specific, task-oriented activities.