Prediction of stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thought from functional brain networks

Aaron Kucyi (), Michael Esterman, James Capella, Allison Green, Mai Uchida, Joseph Biederman, John D. E. Gabrieli, Eve M. Valera and Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
Additional contact information
Aaron Kucyi: Northeastern University
Michael Esterman: Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System
James Capella: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Allison Green: Massachusetts General Hospital
Mai Uchida: Massachusetts General Hospital
Joseph Biederman: Massachusetts General Hospital
John D. E. Gabrieli: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Eve M. Valera: Harvard Medical School
Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli: Northeastern University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Neural substrates of “mind wandering” have been widely reported, yet experiments have varied in their contexts and their definitions of this psychological phenomenon, limiting generalizability. We aimed to develop and test the generalizability, specificity, and clinical relevance of a functional brain network-based marker for a well-defined feature of mind wandering—stimulus-independent, task-unrelated thought (SITUT). Combining functional MRI (fMRI) with online experience sampling in healthy adults, we defined a connectome-wide model of inter-regional coupling—dominated by default-frontoparietal control subnetwork interactions—that predicted trial-by-trial SITUT fluctuations within novel individuals. Model predictions generalized in an independent sample of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In three additional resting-state fMRI studies (total n = 1115), including healthy individuals and individuals with ADHD, we demonstrated further prediction of SITUT (at modest effect sizes) defined using multiple trait-level and in-scanner measures. Our findings suggest that SITUT is represented within a common pattern of brain network interactions across time scales and contexts.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22027-0

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