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Quality of life is related to the functional connectivity of the default mode network at rest

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Abstract

Quality of life is an important issue concerning people all over the world and affecting patients in the mental health field. When considering the potential neural links between quality of life and the brain, a brain network that comes into mind is the default mode network (DMN). Its architecture and function has been investigated in relation to various research fields including social and emotional cognition, meditation and neuropsychiatric disorders as well as happiness. In this cross-sectional study we investigated the relationship between various quality of life domains (physiological, psychological, social and environmental) and the functional connectivity of the default mode network at rest in a sample of 42 healthy working female managers. The results indicate that there is a significant association between the social quality of life domain and the functional connectivity of the default mode network. Post-hoc analysis revealed that high social quality of life scores were associated with right-left lateral parietal hypoconnectivity. By adopting a wide ranging perspective, our study approaches to fundamental research about quality of life but so far only applied on a female subgroup. As far as we know, it is the first to analyze the neuronal correlates of quality of life in the brain and therefore sets an initial step in its investigation.

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Funding

This study was funded by Natura Cosméticos S.A. and Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Inessa Kraft & Jens Sommer

  2. Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Joana Bisol Balardin, Edson Amaro Jr & Elisa Harumi Kozasa

  3. Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo, Brazil

    João Ricardo Sato

  4. Natura Inovação, Cajamar, SP, Brazil

    Patricia Tobo & Carla Barrichello

Authors
  1. Inessa Kraft
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  2. Joana Bisol Balardin
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  3. João Ricardo Sato
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  8. Elisa Harumi Kozasa
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Correspondence to Elisa Harumi Kozasa.

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Kraft, I., Balardin, J.B., Sato, J.R. et al. Quality of life is related to the functional connectivity of the default mode network at rest. Brain Imaging and Behavior 13, 1418–1426 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-018-9954-5

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