Where is my mind? A neurocognitive investigation of mind blanking.
Thomas Andrillon, Antoine Lutz, Jennifer Windt, Athena Demertzi
Trends in Cognitive Sciences March 12, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2025.02.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming Meditation |
| Keywords | Mind blanking Mind wandering Ongoing thinking Consciousness Cognitive science Mental states Brain activity |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key findings | Mind blanking is a distinct, reportable mental state with its own diversity, not merely an absence of thought. |
Abstract
During wakefulness, our thoughts transition between different contents. However, there are moments that are seemingly devoid of reportable content, referred to as mind blanking (MB). It remains unclear what these blanks represent, highlighting the definitional and phenomenological ambiguities surrounding MB. We map out MB in terms of its reportable expressions, neurophysiology, and relationship to adjacent phenomenology, including meditative practices and sleep. We propose a mechanistic account linking MB to changes at the physiological, neural, and cognitive levels. We suggest that ongoing experiences are characterized by degrees of richness, and that contentless events represent distinct mental states with their own diversity. We encourage future research to acknowledge MB as a reportable mental category, leading to a comprehensive understanding of ongoing experience.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Behavioral, experiential, and physiological signatures of mind blanking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 30, 2025
- Neurofeedback Training Facilitates Awareness and Enhances Emotional Well-being Associated with Real-World Meditation Practice: A 7-T MRI Study. Mindfulness September 26, 2025
- Do individuals with disorders of consciousness dream and mind wander? Implications for improving diagnosis and understanding patient wellbeing. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Brain criticality and advanced meditation “cessation” events: An intensively sampled electroencephalography case study IBRO Neuroscience Reports August 1, 2026
- The neuroscience of advanced meditation: The promise of third wave meditation research. Neuron May 6, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 38
- Breakdown of Cortical Effective Connectivity During Sleep Science September 29, 2005
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Theories of consciousness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 1, 2022
- Are There Levels of Consciousness? Trends in Cognitive Sciences April 22, 2016
- From many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2021
and 33 more in the library