Fragmentation and Multithreading of Experience in the Default-Mode Network

Reliance on internal predictive models of the world is central to many theories of human cognition. Yet it is unknown whether humans acquired multiple separate internal models, each evolved for a specific domain, or maintain a globally unified representation. Using fMRI, we show that during naturalistic experiences (during movie watching or narrative listening), adult participants selectively engage three topographically distinct midline prefrontal cortical regions, for different forms of predictions. Regions responded selectively to abstract spatial, referential (social), and temporal domains during model updates implying separate representations for each. Prediction-error-driven neural transitions in these regions, indicative of model updates, preceded subjective belief changes in a domain-specific manner. We find these parallel top-down predictions are unified and selectively integrated with sensory streams in the Precuneus, shaping participants’ ongoing experience. Results generalized across sensory modalities and content, suggesting humans recruit abstract, modular predictive models for both vision and language. Our results highlight a key feature of human world modeling: fragmenting information into abstract domains before global integration.