Default mode network functional connectivity as a transdiagnostic biomarker of cognitive function.

Abstract

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. Over recent years, there has been a surge in examining its functional connectivity, particularly its relationship with frontoparietal networks (FPN) involved in top-down attention, executive function, and cognitive control. The fluidity in switching between these internal and external modes of processing-highlighted by anti-correlated 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 fMRI paradigms, there is now a wealth of large-scale datasets, paving the way for standardized connectivity benchmarks. This review delves into the promising role of DMN connectivity metrics as potential biomarkers of cognitive state across attention, internal mentation, mind wandering and meditation states, and investigating deviations in trait-level measures across aging and in clinical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, depression, ADHD, and others. Additionally, we 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.