Resting-state BOLD temporal variability of the default mode network predicts spontaneous mind wandering, which is negatively associated with mindfulness skills.
Sara Sorella, Cristiano Crescentini, Alessio Matiz, Minah Chang, Alessandro Grecucci
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 22, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1515902 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 76 |
| Population | Human participants who underwent resting-state MRI scans |
| Topics | Meditation Default mode network |
| Keywords | Unprompted thoughts Spontaneous mind wandering Unwanted mental excursions Brain's resting activity Fluctuating brain activity Mindfulness skills Cultivating mindfulness Focus Present Brain science Cognitive science |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Temporal variability of the resting-state default mode network predicted spontaneous mind wandering, which was negatively associated with the 'acting with awareness' facet of mindfulness. The authors argue that the DMN is not directly associated with overall mindfulness and that the involvement of mindfulness abilities in this dynamic may be secondary. |
Abstract
Mind wandering (MW) encompasses both a deliberate and a spontaneous disengagement of attention from the immediate external environment to unrelated internal thoughts. Importantly, MW has been suggested to have an inverse relationship with mindfulness, a state of nonjudgmental awareness of present-moment experience. Although they are, respectively, associated with increased and decreased activity in the default mode network (DMN), the specific contributions of deliberate and spontaneous MW, and their relationships with mindfulness abilities and resting-state macro networks remain to be elucidated. Therefore, resting-state MRI scans from 76 participants were analyzed with group independent component analysis to decompose brain networks into independent macro-networks and to see which of them predicted specific aspects of spontaneous and deliberate MW or mindfulness traits. Our results show that temporal variability of the resting-state DMN predicts spontaneous MW, which in turn is negatively associated with the acting with awareness facet of mindfulness. This finding shows that the DMN is not directly associated with overall mindfulness, but rather demonstrates that there exists a close relationship between DMN and MW, and furthermore, that the involvement of mindfulness abilities in this dynamic may be secondary. In sum, our study contributes to a better understanding of the neural bases of spontaneous MW and its relationship with mindfulness. These results open up the possibility of intervening on specific aspects of our cognitive abilities: for example, our data suggest that training the mindfulness facet acting with awareness would allow lessening our tendency for MW at inopportune times.
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 3
- Cardiac and ocular correlates of mind wandering in meditators and non-meditators during a sustained attention to response task Current Psychology August 1, 2026
- Large-scale brain network differences during deliberate and spontaneous mind-wandering in a sustained attention task: An electroencephalography source-level connectivity study bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) January 23, 2026
- Neural bases of consciousness in Zen meditation: central executive and default mode networks during cognitive conflict. Frontiers in Psychology April 10, 2026
Cites 23
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
and 18 more in the library