Default Mode Network (DMN) - Bitcoin Killer?

I am a little bit in love with this topic.

Humans - The Animal with ZERO Chill

Squirrels hide their nuts in anticipation of winter, birds build (often spectacular) nests to keep their eggs safe or in many cases to get laid in the first place - pun absolutely intended*.

There are countless cases of animals acting in ways, which at first glance appear to be conscious planning, even seemingly drawing on relevant past experiences - yet humans are the only animal capable of creating complex hypothetical scenarios in their mind's eye.

The German word Kopfkino (lit. head cinema) provides the perfect allusion for this idea.

Have you ever felt depressed? Had periods of insomnia or repeated bouts of anxiety? If you haven't then you're lucky and albeit a little bit odd. If you have then I'll explain part of the reason why...

RUMINATION, CATASTROPHISING AND INSOMNIA

The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is once again implicated hard in this one. It's your imagination centre and where you're able to place yourself in hypothetical scenarios.

Since it's Christmas, this area is where Kevin's mum spent most of her mental energy inventing scenarios not even close to what that little psychopath Son of her's was inflicting on poor Harry & Marv.

It's where too many of us, spend too much of our time. This includes daydreaming about future holidays as much as comparing our lives to other's while scrolling through on Instagram.

Evolutionarily, this ability to place ourselves in imaginary contexts endowed us with an incredible advantage - strategising! That is to say, toying with made-up-worst-case-scenarios, and ensuring that we have a viable Plan B up our sleeve. Yet, the same uniquely human capacity is superfluously abused in the modern context as we over-engage it, stressing ourselves out with outlandish possibilities.

Cruicially, the DMN is (over-)active when at rest, when the network, self-referential thinking and all that emotional baggage are left to their own devices.

I'm considering a Lobotomy.


While removal of the PFC might seem like a tempting solution at the time - there are in fact better options.

The advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), enabled us to take a peek into the brain and see the relative fluctuations in activity in the presence of drugs; while carrying out different activities or in altered states of consciousness (being asleep etc.). This window into our consciousness suddenly granted us access to a far deeper understanding of what was going on in one's brain without selectively killing off swathes of tissue and then observing behavioural changes (this literally used to happen).

Armed with an understanding of the area's involved in the DMN and how active they are in different circumstances, we are able to, well, manipulate it.

Is there ANOTHER WAY?

Asides from the wealth of advantages conveyed by the DMN - too much persistent rumination is a side-effect humanity as a whole could do without. Surely then, there's something to be said for quietening it, dialling it down just a couple of notches or switching it off fully for just a moment?

What do MMA (not MDMA); DMT and oddly positive summation of nicotine, have in common?

If you thought Joe Rogan, then you'd be correct, but it's not the answer I'm looking for on this occasion. The answer is, low-and-behold.... the Default Mode Network. Or rather, our capacity to shut it off.

MMA, is an example of what's known as an "absorbing activity". A lot of psychiatrists consider regular engagement in absorbing activities as the single most effective combatant against depression and a crucial tool in any anti-depressive strategy. This goes beyond simply having a hobby. It's an activity which requires every last modicum of your attention - perhaps to complete tasks on a technical level or literally as a matter of life and death. If you were hurtling down a mountain on skis or a bike, your mind wandering could be fatal. But when you reach the bottom, you feel amazing, even after the adrenaline wears off. Almost...cleansed - gifted with a slightly clearer mind.

Nicotine is our first pharmaceutical intervention on the list. Did you know that over 60% of people with schizophrenia are not only addicted to nicotine but would be classified as "heavy smokers? Did you also know that hyperactivity and hyper-connectivity across the DMN, is especially pronounced in people with schizophrenia? It's hypothesised that some of the cognitive deficits, associated with attention and working-memory, witnessed in schizophrenia can be attenuated using nicotine. Nicotine binding to the acetyl-choline receptor in the PFC can inhibit activity here, temporarily calming interference from the DMN. Smoking could be therefore considered a form of self-medication.

DMT - The God Molecule. Or more broadly, psychedelics like psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and LSD. A major characteristic of the DMN is its mediation of self-referential thinking aka your ego. Psychedelics have been attributed to the (temporary) disruption of the DMN, leading to a more fluid or flexible state of consciousness and a subsequent reduction in self-referential thinking. It's again, temporary, but a sort of holiday from your DMN. It's thought that precisely this activity is responsible for immediate and long-lasting, anti-depressant effects.

The Bottom Line.

Whether you're stressing your productivity after a poor nights sleep; feeling guilty about something you said being misconstrued by a colleague or straight up pissing yourself about being fired tomorrow - take heed of this advice.

Grab your bike - ride up the highest mountain you can find, smoke a bunch of cigarettes and scran at least 3 grams of Shrooms.

Ride down. No Hands.

I guarantee that by the time you reach the bottom you will be an entirely different person.

All thanks to a temporary shut down of the Default Mode Network! <3 <3 <3 <3