Brain-Hemispheres-DMN-Consciousness
Wijn Mart
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 19, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19651891 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key points | Argues that the right hemisphere constitutes primary consciousness (Type 1) and the left hemisphere constructs the narrative self (Type 2), with the Default Mode Network reframed as a bilateral conduit whose mode depends on hemispheric dominance. Describes a documented case of spontaneous, permanent reorganization from left-dominant to right-dominant functioning and proposes testable fMRI hypotheses. |
Abstract
AbstractThis paper presents a model of consciousness grounded in hemispheric lateralization and theDefault Mode Network (DMN). Building on McGilchrist's Master/Emissary framework,Schore's developmental neuroscience, and Porges' polyvagal theory, it argues that the righthemisphere constitutes primary consciousness (Type 1) while the left hemisphere constructsthe narrative self (Type 2). The DMN is reframed not as a disruptor but as a bilateral conduitwhose mode depends on which hemisphere holds the lead. The paper describes a documentedcase of spontaneous, permanent reorganization from left-dominant to right-dominantfunctioning, proposes testable fMRI hypotheses, and situates the findings within existingresearch on non-dual awareness, persistent non-symbolic experience, and DMN reduction inmeditators. Implications for trauma, education, near-death experiences, and the scientificmethod itself are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |