Rumination and the default mode network: Meta-analysis of brain imaging studies and implications for depression
Hui-Xia Zhou,
Xiao Chen,
Yang-Qian Shen,
Le Li,
Ning-Xuan Chen,
Zhi-Chen Zhu,
Francisco Xavier Castellanos,
Chao-Gan Yan
Affiliations
Hui-Xia Zhou
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Xiao Chen
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Yang-Qian Shen
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
Le Li
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Ning-Xuan Chen
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Zhi-Chen Zhu
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Francisco Xavier Castellanos
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, New York, NY, USA; Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
Chao-Gan Yan
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; International Big-Data Center for Depression Research, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, New York, NY, USA; Corresponding author. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
Rumination is strongly and consistently correlated with depression. Although multiple studies have explored the neural correlates of rumination, findings have been inconsistent and the mechanisms underlying rumination remain elusive. Functional brain imaging studies have identified areas in the default mode network (DMN) that appear to be critically involved in ruminative processes. However, a meta-analysis to synthesize the findings of brain regions underlying rumination is currently lacking. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis consisting of experimental tasks that investigate rumination by using Signed Differential Mapping of 14 fMRI studies comprising 286 healthy participants. Furthermore, rather than treat the DMN as a unitary network, we examined the contribution of three DMN subsystems to rumination. Results confirm the suspected association between rumination and DMN activation, specifically implicating the DMN core regions and the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex subsystem. Based on these findings, we suggest a hypothesis of how DMN regions support rumination and present the implications of this model for treating major depressive disorder characterized by rumination.
