Recent research in functional connectivity has identified regions in the brain active at rest. These regions are often referred to at the "Default-mode network" (DMN). Activity in the DMN is increased in the brain at rest and decreased when a subject concentrates on a mental task. The first fMRI study examining functional connectivity in chronic pain patients was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. In this study abnormal patterns of functional connectivity were seen in chronic pain patients. Specifically, a dysfunction in down-regulating the DMN was seen. The chronic pain patients did not deactivate the medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, or posterior cingulate cortex to the same degree as healthy controls.