OSCR

Narrative coherence shapes functional connectivity in default mode and frontoparietal networks.

Overview

Authors: Chelsea Ekstrand1, Christina Haines1, Keva Klamer1, Joshua Craig1, KiAnna Sullivan1, Peter Seres2, Shaylyn Kress1
ORCID iDs: Chelsea Ekstrand, Peter Seres, Shaylyn Kress
  1. Ekstrand Neuroimaging Lab, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr W, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
  2. Peter S. Allen MRI Research Centre, University of Alberta, 116 St & 85 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
Institutions: University of Lethbridge (Canada); University of Alberta (Canada)
Journal: Neuroimage. Reports, volume 6, issue 3, article 100363
Dates: received 24 November 2025; accepted 4 June 2026; published online 10 June 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY-NC
Identifiers: DOI 10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363 · PMID 42318318 · PMCID PMC13273663 · OpenAlex W7164162806
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: code on request
Categories: fMRI (modality), human (organism), systems (subfield)
Methods: Spectral & time-frequency, Connectivity, Statistics, Preprocessing, fMRI & imaging, Machine learning
Keywords: FMRI, Functional connectivity multivariate pattern analysis, Naturalistic stimuli, Narrative processing, Functional connectivity
Topic: Complex Network Analysis Techniques (Statistical and Nonlinear Physics, Physics and Astronomy), according to OpenAlex
Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Discovery
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 37 references in the paper

Abstract

Narratives are central to human cognition, yet the brain mechanisms supporting coherent story construction remain incompletely understood. In this study, we used a well-controlled naturalistic paradigm to isolate the neural basis of narrative coherence. Participants watched a foreign-language film with either intact or scrambled English subtitles, disrupting narrative understanding while preserving auditory and visual input. Whole-brain functional connectivity multivariate pattern analysis (fc-MVPA) revealed significant differences between conditions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), lateral prefrontal cortex, and right angular gyrus—regions spanning the default mode and frontoparietal control networks. Seed-based correlation analyses showed stronger vmPFC and PCC coupling with lateral temporal and frontoparietal regions during coherent narratives, supporting semantic and contextual integration. In contrast, incoherent narratives increased connectivity between the default mode and attention networks, consistent with elevated cognitive demands. Finally, we observed a functional dissociation within the DMN: vmPFC–PCC coupling was enhanced during incoherent viewing, while PCC–precuneus coupling was stronger during coherent narratives. These results highlight dynamic reconfiguration across large-scale brain networks in support of real-world narrative comprehension.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Code

The paper says that its authors' code is available on request: it was not published with the paper, so there is nothing to verify.

The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.

Tracing map

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Data

No dataset and no data link were found in the paper.

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Data and code Availability statement

The data that support the finding of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 2, 28 September 2026

  • Authors: added Chelsea Ekstrand (0000-0002-1330-1924); Peter Seres (0000-0002-8812-2234); Shaylyn Kress (0000-0003-3526-2900); removed Chelsea Ekstrand; Peter Seres; Shaylyn Kress

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 5 keywords, 2 funders, 35 references.

Cite

This paper

Ekstrand, C., Haines, C., Klamer, K., Craig, J., Sullivan, K., Seres, P., & Kress, S. (2026). Narrative coherence shapes functional connectivity in default mode and frontoparietal networks. Neuroimage. Reports, 6(3), 100363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363

BibTeX

@article{ekstrand2026narrative,
author = {Ekstrand, Chelsea and Haines, Christina and Klamer, Keva and Craig, Joshua and Sullivan, KiAnna and Seres, Peter and Kress, Shaylyn},
title = {{Narrative coherence shapes functional connectivity in default mode and frontoparietal networks}},
journal = {Neuroimage. Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
volume = {6},
number = {3},
pages = {100363},
publisher = {Elsevier},
issn = {2666-9560},
doi = {10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363},
pmid = {42318318},
pmcid = {PMC13273663}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Ekstrand, Chelsea
AU - Haines, Christina
AU - Klamer, Keva
AU - Craig, Joshua
AU - Sullivan, KiAnna
AU - Seres, Peter
AU - Kress, Shaylyn
TI - Narrative coherence shapes functional connectivity in default mode and frontoparietal networks
T2 - Neuroimage. Reports
J2 - Neuroimage Rep
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/10
VL - 6
IS - 3
SP - 100363
SN - 2666-9560
PB - Elsevier
DO - 10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100363
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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