AUTHOR=Chen Xi , Xu Kaijun , Yang Yong , Wang Quanchuan , Jiang Hao , Guo Xiangmei , Chen Xipeng , Yang Jiazhong , Luo Cheng 

TITLE=Altered Default Mode Network Dynamics in Civil Aviation Pilots

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2019

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.01406

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2019.01406

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Background: Airlines occupy an increasingly important place in the economy of many countries. Because air disasters may cause substantial losses, comprehensive surveys of the psychophysiological mechanism of flying are needed; however, relatively few studies have focused on pilots. The default mode network (DMN) is an important intrinsic connectivity network involved in a range of functions related to flying. This study aimed to examine functional properties of the DMN in pilots.
Method: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 26 pilots and 24 controls were collected. Independent component analysis, a data-driven approach, was combined with functional connectivity analysis to investigate functional properties of the DMN in pilots. 
Results: The pilot group exhibited increased functional integration in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left middle occipital gyrus. Subsequent functional connectivity analysis identified enhanced functional connection between the precuneus/PCC and medial superior frontal gyrus. 
Conclusions: The pilot group exhibited increased functional connections within the DMN. These findings highlight the importance of the DMN in the neurophysiological mechanism of flying.