THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEFAULT MODE RESTING STATE NEURAL NETWORK, RESPIRATORY SINUS ARRHYTHMIA, AND SELF-FOCUSED COGNITION: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Functional activity within the default mode resting state neural network (RSNN) and the resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) may represent an integrated neural and peripheral cardiovascular index of the baseline, resting state in humans. Research also indicates that the integrated physiological baseline potentially formed by the default mode RSNN and resting RSA may be associated with self-focused cognition. We hypothesize that measures of default mode RSNN (namely functional connectivity strength), resting RSA, and self-focused cognition are, indeed, correlated and aim to demonstrate these relationships. Measures of default mode RSNN functional connectivity strength were derived using functional magnetic resonance imaging, measures of resting RSA were obtained via electrocardiogram, and self-focused cognition was assessed using survey methods. Although our results were largely unsupportive of our hypothesis, we present several possibly methodological confounds that may have impacted our findings, and we describe directions for future research