Three anti-correlated neuronal networks managing brain activity - Review

Abstract

In order to understand how the brain operates we should take into account it’s component which consume most of the energy, which is spontaneous neuronal activity. Imaging techniques like resting state functional connectivity MRI and Independent Component Analysis technique arrived at the conclusion that there are a couple of neuronal networks activated in tasks implying goal-oriented activity, and include the systems named “dorsal and ventral attention networks”. These networks are anti-correlated with another network comprising regions which are deactivated during these tasks, and are involved in the self referential activity. The last ones are named Default network and it’s abnormalities are associated with depressive disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer disease and autism. Various studies revealed that the “attention networks” are responsive to specific cognitive trainings using working memory and inhibitory control tasks, both in children and adults, and can be used as an effective treatment for some mental disease or for optimizing healthy people mental performance.

Keywords

• resting state brain activity
• brain networks
• cognitive training