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Cited by 154Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesMental Health and PsychiatryNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Towards a new model of understanding – The triple network, psychopathology and the structure of the mind

Menon, Bindu·2019·Medical Hypotheses
DOI 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109385
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Abstract

With progress in neurosciences, neuroimaging and brain stimulation techniques, mental illnesses are now being seen as development anomalies at the molecular-structural level of synapses, resulting in abnormal cross wiring in areas responsible for complex cognitive and emotional processing. These include the multimodal association cortices situated in the prefrontal lobes, the insula in the temporal lobes, midline cortical structures, and their connections to the thalamus, amygdala and the basal ganglia. Three key networks have been identified which are considered the brain hubs for complex perceptual, emotional and behavior processing as well as introspection, theory of mind and self-awareness; namely the salience network (SN), the central executive network (CEN) and the default mode network (DMN). They function in an interconnected manner and involve in higher information processing of the entire internal and external milieu of the organism to determine the behavior strategies to be adopted. A triple network model of aberrant saliency mapping and cognitive dysfunction in psychopathology has been put forward recently and an attempt is being made to understand core cognitive networks and their dysfunction across multiple disorders including schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism and dementia. Against this background, the author would like to take the triple network dysfunction model a step further to hypothesize the following. 1. All or some of the three core networks (CEN, SN & DMN) are affected variably in psychiatric disorders, the severity and the nature of the clinical symptoms depending upon the degree of damage and the number of networks that are dysfunctional and whether that dysfunction is reversible or permanent. For example, in a condition like schizophrenia, all three networks would more or less be affected giving rise to plethora of symptoms like executive deficits, negative symptoms, abnormal salience and mood states. In milder conditions like anxiety and depressive disorders, on the other hand, the dysfunction is of a lesser degree and reversible. 2. These networks are the final common pathway through which a variety of internal or environment insults to the brains may act, the degree of damage and reversibility being determined by the critical period of brain development in which these occur. 3. The harmonious functioning of these core networks is what gives rise to the complex phenomenon of the mind in the brain.

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Authors
Menon, B.
Corresponding author
Menon, Bindu
Venue
Medical Hypotheses
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-12
Volume
133
Pages
109385
ISSN
0306-9877 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109385
OpenAlex
W2970056870
Cited by
154
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 32 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2
FWCI
5.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Medical Hypotheses (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
triple network model, salience network, frontoparietal network, default mode network, psychopathology, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, dementia, cognitive impairment, brain development, structure of the mind, theory of mind, self-awareness, executive deficits, negative symptoms
MeSH terms
Attention, Behavior, Mental Disorders, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Hallucinations, Humans, Mental Processes, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Nerve Net, Psychophysiology, Schizophrenic Psychology, Self Concept, Thinking, Executive Function

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