Brain Network Reconfiguration and Perceptual Decoupling During an Absorptive State of Consciousness.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) July 1, 2016 Michael J Hove, Johannes Stelzer, Till Nierhaus et al. 99 citations
Trance, an absorptive state with narrowed external awareness used by shamans for insight, was studied with fMRI in 15 experienced shamanic practitioners listening to rhythmic drumming. During trance, three brain regions—posterior cingulate cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and left insula/operculum—showed stronger hubs (higher eigenvector centrality). The posterior cingulate cortex, a default network hub for internal thought, coactivated with control-network regions, suggesting amplified internal neural streams. Auditory pathway seeds were less connected, indicating perceptual decoupling from repetitive drumming. This network reconfiguration may support extended internal thought and insight.