The first mental state is the Default Mode Network. This symmetric anatomic brain area found on brain metabolic studies such as fMRI and PET outlined by Marcus Raichle et al 2001. Their human subjects were scanned, eyes closed, generally thinking of nothing. When I first came upon this description I thought, that is exactly the same as what neurologists mostly see in looking at a resting EEG, relaxed waking, eyes closed at which time we have the alpha rhythm that dominates EEG. I was genuinely surprised to find no mention of this in Raichle’s published reports. He was trained as a neurologist but specialized in new imaging techniques. What is the brain about in this mental state?
Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, Powers WJ, Gusnard DA, Shulman GL. A default mode of brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Jan 16;98(2):676-82. doi: 10.1073/pnas.98.2.676. PMID: 11209064; PMCID: PMC14647.
