Clinical fMRI studies have identified several nodes in the brain where activity simultaneously turns on or off when a person performs a task. This complex balance of switches greatly affects behavior. Some brain nodes are task-negative, where activity decreases during a task. Others are task-positive, where activity increases during the task.
These nodes are like children on a seesaw, with activity going down in one while, at the same time, the other has increased activity. In healthy individuals the DMN network is task-negative, taking charge during rest, but deactivated when a person performs a task. Patients treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy appear to be unable to regulate the seesaw activity of the DMN network.
When task-positive pathways turn on, DMN should be less activated. Instead, unlike the seesaw children, it remains high. We are using our unique expertise in neural interplay to learn why, after cancer therapy, this breakdown occurs.