Embodying the default mode network: self-related processing from an embodied perspective

Abstract

Self-related processes in the default mode network (DMN) have been viewed predominantly through a cognitive lens, often overlooking the embodied dimensions of self. This paper proposes an embodied reconceptualization of DMN function by revisiting its two key self-related processes: self-relevance and self-reference. We argue that self-relevance is rooted in interoceptive inference and value estimation, assessing stimuli based on their predicted long-term impacts on internal bodily states. We introduce the notion of ‘affective maps’ — internal models of internal bodily state that parallel cognitive maps, which are internal models of the external world. We further reinterpret self-reference through the lens of second-order cybernetics, framing the DMN as a core component of a reflexive, nontrivial brain–body system, which monitors and regulates the internal milieu through bidirectional brain–body loops. This systems-level view integrates insights from interoception, affective neuroscience, and cybernetics, positioning the DMN as an embodied internal model crucial for constructing and regulating selfhood.