DOI: 10.1126/science.1131295 ISSN:
Wandering Minds: The Default Network and Stimulus-Independent Thought
Malia F. Mason, Michael I. Norton, John D. Van Horn, Daniel M. Wegner, Scott T. Grafton, C. Neil Macrae- Multidisciplinary
Despite evidence pointing to a ubiquitous tendency of human minds to wander, little is known about the neural operations that support this core component of human cognition. Using both thought sampling and brain imaging, the current investigation demonstrated that mind-wandering is associated with activity in a default network of cortical regions that are active when the brain is “at rest.” In addition, individuals' reports of the tendency of their minds to wander were correlated with activity in this network.