# Default mode network (DMN)

The default mode network (DMN) is a set of connected brain regions that switch on when your mind is at rest, and switch off during focused tasks. The core hubs include the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and angular gyri. Raichle and colleagues first described this pattern systematically in 2001. The DMN supports inward-facing mental work: self-referential thought, recalling personal memories, mental simulation, and social thinking. In normal aging, the DMN's connectivity and its task-related switching-off both weaken. That tracks with poorer memory and less mental flexibility. In Alzheimer's, the DMN's core hubs take an outsized hit, with heavy amyloid-β deposits and shrinkage. That fits its high baseline activity and its tight link to the fluid flow that clears amyloid during sleep.

## Sources

- Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, Powers WJ, Gusnard DA, Shulman GL. (2001). A default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.98.2.676
- Raichle ME. (2015). The Brain's Default Mode Network. Annual Review of Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-071013-014030

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/default-mode-network · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_