Internal and external attention and the default mode network
Hannah J. Scheibner, Carsten Bogler, Tobias Gleich, John–dylan Haynes, Felix Bermpohl
Neuroimage January 18, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.044 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects fMRI study with thought-probe paradigm Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Healthy, meditation-naïve adults |
| Interventions | mindfulness of sound mindfulness of breathing |
| Duration | Four consecutive days of home practice plus one fMRI scanning session |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | Posterior cingulate Mind-wandering Prefrontal cortex Cognitive psychology Inferior parietal lobule Anterior cingulate cortex Cognition Electroencephalography Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 136 |
| Key points | Mindful attention during focused attention meditation is associated with reduced DMN activity compared to mind-wandering, independent of internal versus external focus. |
Abstract
Focused attention meditations have been shown to improve psychological health and wellbeing and are nowadays an integral part of many psychotherapies. While research on the neural correlates of focused attention meditation is increasing, findings vary on whether meditations are associated with high or low activity in the default mode network (DMN). To clarify the relationship between focused attention meditation and the activity in DMN regions, it may be helpful to distinguish internal and external attention as well as different phases within one meditation: During focused attention meditation, the practitioner switches between mindful attention, mind-wandering and refocusing. Here, we employed a thought-probe paradigm to study the neural correlates of these different phases. Twenty healthy, meditation naïve participants were introduced to external (mindfulness of sound) and internal (mindfulness of breathing) attention meditation and then practiced the meditation at home for four consecutive days. They then performed the same focused attention meditations during fMRI scanning, in four runs alternating between internal and external attention. At pseudorandom intervals, participants were asked whether they had just been focused on the task (mindful attention) or had been distracted (mind-wandering). During mindful attention, brain regions typically associated with the DMN, such as the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and left temporoparietal junction showed significantly less neural activation compared to mind-wandering phases. Reduced activity of the DMN was found during both external and internal attention, with stronger deactivation in the posterior cingulate cortex during internal attention compared to external attention. Moreover, refocusing after mind-wandering was associated with activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Our results support the theory that mindful attention is associated with reduced DMN activity compared to mind-wandering, independent of the practitioner's attention focus (i.e., internal vs. external).
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 61
- Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2018
- The Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: Hypotheses from Evolutionary Psychology Frontiers in Neuroscience September 28, 2017
- Reducing default mode network connectivity with mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback: a pilot study among adolescents with affective disorder history. Molecular Psychiatry June 1, 2023
- Neuropharmacological modulation of the aberrant bodily self through psychedelics Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 6, 2019
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
and 56 more in the library
Cites 26
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Neuroimage June 13, 2008
and 21 more in the library