A highly experienced meditator with over 50,000 hours of practice reported experiencing content-free awareness (CFA) during an EEG-fMRI session. During CFA, alpha brainwave power sharply decreased while theta power increased. Functional connectivity increased in the dorsal attention network (DAN) and decreased in the posterior default mode network (DMN). These patterns suggest a top-down attentional state that excludes both external sensory stimuli and internal thoughts from conscious experience. The authors conclude that investigating such states may offer new approaches for identifying the minimal neural correlate of consciousness.
A neurophenomenological study with a single expert meditator shows that a larger readiness potential (RP) is linked to more frequent self-initiated movements during negative deflections of slow cortical potentials (SCP). These negative deflections occur alongside an inner impulse reported by the meditator, which may lead to a voluntary act. This proof-of-principle demonstrates that combining first-person introspective data with neural signal analysis can advance understanding of the neural basis of voluntary acts, challenging interpretations of the classic Libet experiment.