Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report
Kathleen A. Garrison, Juan F. Santoyo, Jake H. Davis, Thomas A Thornhill, Catherine E. Kerr, Judson A. Brewer
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00440 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators |
| Intervention | meditation |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | Neurofeedback Posterior cingulate Cognitive psychology Mind-wandering Distraction Cognition Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 226 |
| Key findings | Subjective experiences of undistracted awareness and effortless doing correspond with PCC deactivation, while distracted awareness and controlling correspond with PCC activation. |
Abstract
Neurophenomenological studies seek to utilize first-person self-report to elucidate cognitive processes related to physiological data. Grounded theory offers an approach to the qualitative analysis of self-report, whereby theoretical constructs are derived from empirical data. Here we used grounded theory methodology (GTM) to assess how the first-person experience of meditation relates to neural activity in a core region of the default mode network-the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). We analyzed first-person data consisting of meditators' accounts of their subjective experience during runs of a real time fMRI neurofeedback study of meditation, and third-person data consisting of corresponding feedback graphs of PCC activity during the same runs. We found that for meditators, the subjective experiences of "undistracted awareness" such as "concentration" and "observing sensory experience," and "effortless doing" such as "observing sensory experience," "not efforting," and "contentment," correspond with PCC deactivation. Further, the subjective experiences of "distracted awareness" such as "distraction" and "interpreting," and "controlling" such as "efforting" and "discontentment," correspond with PCC activation. Moreover, we derived several novel hypotheses about how specific qualities of cognitive processes during meditation relate to PCC activity, such as the difference between meditation and "trying to meditate." These findings offer novel insights into the relationship between meditation and mind wandering or self-related thinking and neural activity in the default mode network, driven by first-person reports.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Too Fast or Too Slow? Time and Neuronal Variability in Bipolar Disorder—A Combined Theoretical and Empirical Investigation | 2017 | Theoretical and empirical approach combining phenomenological, psychological, and neuroscientific accounts | |
| Exploring Dynamic Thought Patterns using fMRI and Experience Sampling | 2025 | Neurophenomenological study | |
| The Creative Brain: Exploring the Connection Between Neuroscience and the Creative Process | 2026 | Qualitative literature review | |
| THE ROLE OF THE SALIENCE NETWORK AND THE DEFAULT MODE NETWORK IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING | 2023 | Qualitative study | |
| Investigating Multiple Streams of Consciousness: Using Descriptive Experience Sampling to Explore Internally and Externally Directed Streams of Thought. Five Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) participants | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 5 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 97
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience April 22, 2015
- Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2018
- What about the “Self” is Processed in the Posterior Cingulate Cortex? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
and 92 more in the library
Cites 7
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Guiding the study of brain dynamics by using first-person data: Synchrony patterns correlate with ongoing conscious states during a simple visual task Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 22, 2002
- Cognitive-Affective Neural Plasticity following Active-Controlled Mindfulness Intervention Journal of Neuroscience October 31, 2012
- Meditation Experience Predicts Introspective Accuracy PLoS One September 25, 2012
- Real-time fMRI links subjective experience with brain activity during focused attention Neuroimage November 1, 2013
and 2 more in the library