Tinnitus reduces default mode network activity by blocking mind-wandering

Evidence

Most notably, the default mode network (DMN) was less extensive and shows significantly less connectivity in tinnitus patients than in controls. This group difference existed in both paradigms. At the same time, the DMN was stronger during resting-state than during fixed-state in the controls but not the patients. We attribute this pattern to the unremitting engaging effect of the tinnitus percept. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2700

Our interpretation is that the activity of the DMN in patients with tinnitus, whether as the source or the consequence of tinnitus, is reduced in comparison to the activity in controls. The DMN is relatively better connected internally (i.e. larger spontaneous fluctuations, indicative of stronger connectivity) when the mind is at rest and allowed to wander or daydream. This network is believed to be key in how a person introspectively understands themselves and others, and forms beliefs, intentions, and desires through autobiographical memory. Recently it was shown that a dysfunctional DMN is related to autism (Washington et al. 2014 ). Perhaps the DMN plays a similar role in tinnitus, where through the on-going tinnitus patients can’t get into a state of mind-wandering and therefore show a reduced activity in the DMN compared to controls. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2747

Our interpretation is that the activity of the DMN in patients with tinnitus, whether as the source or the consequence of tinnitus, is reduced in comparison to the activity in controls. The DMN is relatively better connected internally (i.e. larger spontaneous fluctuations, indicative of stronger connectivity) when the mind is at rest and allowed to wander or daydream. This network is believed to be key in how a person introspectively understands themselves and others, and forms beliefs, intentions, and desires through autobiographical memory. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2703

Our study is novel in the sense that it specifically assesses the influence of performing a task on the scale of brain networks as a whole. Specifically in patients with tinnitus, the DMN does not clearly show a task-effect, which in contrast is clearly present in controls. This observation enhances the hypothesis that subjects with tinnitus cannot get the ‘rest’ that is necessary for a healthy life. In conclusion, we attribute the pattern of reduced connectivity in the DMN to the unremitting engaging effect of the tinnitus percept. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2756

Our interpretation is that the activity of the DMN in patients with tinnitus, whether as the source or the consequence of tinnitus, is reduced in comparison to the activity in controls. The DMN is relatively better connected internally (i.e. larger spontaneous fluctuations, indicative of stronger connectivity) when the mind is at rest and allowed to wander or daydream. This network is believed to be key in how a person introspectively understands themselves and others, and forms beliefs, intentions, and desires through autobiographical memory. … Specifically in patients with tinnitus, the DMN does not clearly show a task-effect, which in contrast is clearly present in controls. This observation enhances the hypothesis that subjects with tinnitus cannot get the ‘rest’ that is necessary for a healthy life. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2703

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in auditory pathways and how sustained internally-generated percepts reshape large-scale brain network dynamics; also relates to broader default mode network literature on self-referential processing.
• SEED: The parallel between tinnitus blocking mind-wandering and autism-linked DMN dysfunction suggests an angle on ‘intrusive internal stimuli and the loss of daydreaming’ as a cross-condition phenomenon.
• QUESTION: The causal direction (source vs consequence) remains untested — worth flagging as unresolved.
• corroborated: 6 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2700; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2747; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2703 (+1 more)