Resting-state intrinsic network connectivity and mind wandering: Insights from tasks with varying demands

Abstract

Objective: Recent research has uncovered that mind wandering, as evaluated through a mind wandering questionnaire, is linked to heightened functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) and increased functional connectivity between the DMN and the frontoparietal control network (FPCN). However, limited research has focused on the association between mind wandering and resting-state network functional connectivity in relation to task demands.

Method: This study aimed to address this issue by collecting data on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging images and mind wandering during 0-back and 1-back tasks outside the scanner (N = 93). The study examined how resting-state functional connectivity within and between intrinsic brain networks (DMN, FPCN, and dorsal attention network) is associated with mind wandering during tasks of different cognitive loads.

Results: The results of the study revealed a significant positive correlation between mind wandering and resting-state within-network connectivity of the DMN in both tasks. Additionally, in the 0-back task, mind wandering exhibited a significant positive correlation with resting-state connectivity between the DMN and the FPCN. In the 1-back task, mind wandering demonstrated a significant positive correlation with resting-state connectivity between the DMN and the dorsal attention network.

Conclusions: These findings are consistent with previous findings and further suggest that the relationship between resting-state network functional connectivity and mind wandering is sensitive to task demands. They lend support to the context regulation hypothesis, suggesting that executive function may regulate mind wandering frequency based on situational demands. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).