Decoding ruminative reflection in healthy individuals: The role of triple network connectivity

Abstract

Ruminative reflection has been linked to enhanced executive control in processing internally represented emotional information, suggesting it may serve as an adaptive strategy for emotion regulation. Investigating the neural substrates of reflection can deepen our understanding of its adaptive properties. This study used network-based statistic (NBS)-Predict methodology to identify resting state functional connectivity (FC)-based predictors of ruminative reflection in a healthy sample. Our results showed that reflection in healthy subjects was predicted by FC within and between the default mode network (DMN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), and salience network (SN). Notably, FC within the FPN and SN, as well as between the FPN and DMN, contributed more significantly to the predictive model. These results underscore the greater influence of FPN and SN connectivity in predicting reflection, providing empirical evidence that increased executive control over internal emotional representations is integral to adaptive reflective processes. Moreover, the triple-network model, particularly the FPN-DMN coupling, emerges as a crucial predictor of ruminative reflection, highlighting the importance of coordinating self-relevant and goal-directed processing in reflective mechanisms. These identified connectivity fingerprints may offer insights into the role of reflective processes in facilitating recovery from depression.