Influence of Nondual Awareness on the Functioning of Anti-correlated Intrinsic and Extrinsic Networks in the Brain
Lead Investigator: Zoran Josipovic
Institution: New York University
Nondual awareness can be described as a special case of unity consciousness in which there is no blocking of the sensory input and one is fully oriented to time and space, yet one transcends the confines of the dualistic mind. Globally distributed anti-correlated networks in the brain, the task-specific extrinsic and the task-negative intrinsic network, have been the focus of considerable research interest recently. Previous work has found the activity in the intrinsic system during rest to be anti-correlated with that of the extrinsic system, regions that typically exhibit response increases during goal-directed task performance. While the overall task-positive extrinsic network has been fairly well defined in relation to a variety of cognitive tasks, the full understanding of the task-negative intrinsic or default network and its functional significance has not yet emerged.
Nondual awareness presents a unique opportunity to study the functioning of the intrinsic/extrinsic networks in the brain, as it is characterized by the cessation of habitual fragmenting of the field of experience into inside vs. outside, self-related vs. other-related processes. Two questions need to be answered: 1) In what way can nondual awareness inform us about the functioning of anti-correlated networks in the brain? 2) What can understanding of the neural correlates of nondual awareness tell us about its nature and its possible effects on people's mental health? Studies of meditation and prayer indicate that these practices create lasting functional and structural changes in the brain, thus increasing our understanding of the extent of the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to experience. Our study seeks to contribute to this understanding by looking at the question of whether the anti-correlation between the task-positive extrinsic network and the task-negative intrinsic (default) network is an inherent property of brain organization or whether it is subject to cognitive control and learning.
The Baumann Foundation
