MINDFULNESS AND THE COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF ATTENTION AND AWARENESS
Antonino Raffone, Angela Tagini, Narayanan Srinivasan
Zygon December 3, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2010.01118.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Metacognition Prefrontal cortex Consciousness |
| Citations | 36 |
| Key points | Proposes an integrated neurocognitive model of mindfulness, attention, and awareness with a key role of the prefrontal cortex. |
Abstract
Mindfulness can be understood as the mental ability to focus on the direct and immediate perception or monitoring of the present moment with a state of open and nonjudgmental awareness. Descriptions of mindfulness and methods for cultivating it originated in eastern spiritual traditions. These suggest that mindfulness can be developed through meditation practice to increase positive qualities such as awareness, insight, wisdom, and compassion. In this article we focus on the relationships between mindfulness, with associated meditation practices, and the cognitive neuroscience of attention and awareness. Mindful awareness is related to distributed attention, phenomenal consciousness, and momentary self‐awareness, as characterized by recent findings in cognitive psychology and neuroscience as well as in influential consciousness models. Finally, we outline an integrated neurocognitive model of mindfulness, attention, and awareness, with a key role of prefrontal cortex.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Enhanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity With Decreased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations of the Salience Network in Mindfulness Novices Frontiers in Human Neuroscience March 3, 2022
- Mindfulness training modifies attentional bias to facial emotion and emotional symptoms. Journal of Psychiatric Research November 1, 2023
- Why Uncertainty Is Essential for Consciousness: Local Prospect Theory vs. Predictive Processing. Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) January 28, 2025
- IMAG(IN)ING THE BUDDHIST BRAIN: EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION Zygon December 3, 2025
- Contemplative Meditation and Neuroscience: Prospects for Mental Health. Journal of Religion and Health June 2018
and 2 more in the library
Cites 22
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
and 17 more in the library