Default Mode Network: A Candidate for New Neuro-scientific Paradigm

Abstract

The paper focuses on methodological and historical analysis of historical events that shaped the previous and current research of neurology. In 2001 Marcus Raichle came with a surprising discovery, which is now widely known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). DMN brings new knowledge about brain activity and it also changes traditional beliefs about the brain. The scientific community had assumed, for the entire twentieth century, that brain is a tool "reflexive" to the environment. This conviction was the basis of neurological research. DMN comes with the concept of neural activity that is not dependent on the active stimulation of the brain. This concept is in contrast to the previous beliefs about brain activity. Current research of DMN leads to the entirely new knowledge that was not available for the previous paradigm. The article addresses the question whether DMN could be considered a scientific revolution and the new paradigm of neuroscience.