Barraclough M, et al. - Researchers assessed cognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) vs healthy controls (HCs) with both behavioral and neuroimaging means by evaluating the clinical and psychological data with relevant biomarkers taken from blood samples. They observed higher depression and fatigue scores, as well as higher hsCRP, IL-6, and B lymphocyte stimulator levels in SLE patients vs HCs. Especially in default mode network (DMN) regions and the caudate, SLE patients had altered brain responses during the working memory task, as well as worse performance on a sustained attention task. Poor DMN attenuation might contribute to SLE cognitive impairment. Data suggests that inflammatory mechanisms and organ damage affected cognitive functioning in SLE, along with mood and fatigue.