Chain free association, creativity, and the default mode network
Neuropsychologia March 17, 2018 128 citations
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Neuropsychologia
ISSN 1873-3514
10 papers in the library · 556 citations · publishing 1965-2025
Papers
The relationship between awareness and attention: evidence from ERP responses.
Neuropsychologia November 1, 2009 Mika Koivisto, Pasi Kainulainen, Antti Revonsuo 107 citations
Visual attention and awareness are intricately linked, but different types of attention play distinct roles. Experiments tracking brain responses show that spatial attention is necessary for the earliest brain correlate of phenomenal consciousness—the raw experience of seeing. This early marker emerged regardless of whether objects were selected by nonspatial attention, though later parts of it were modified by such selection. In contrast, the brain correlate of reflective consciousness, which allows the contents of phenomenal experience to be used for thought and memory, depended on both spatial attention and nonspatial selection. These findings indicate that the relationship between attention and awareness requires distinguishing between different forms of attention and different levels of consciousness.
Neural correlates of mystical experience
Neuropsychologia November 26, 2015 Irène Cristofori, Joseph Bulbulia, John H. Shaver et al. 104 citations
People who suffer damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) report markedly more mystical experiences—subjectively believed encounters with a supernatural world—than healthy controls. In a study of 116 Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and 32 matched controls, lesions to frontal and temporal brain regions, especially the dlPFC and middle/superior temporal cortex, were linked with greater mysticism. Pre-injury data on general intelligence and executive performance rule out individual differences as an explanation. The findings indicate that executive functioning in the dlPFC causally helps down-regulate mystical experiences, supporting earlier speculation that executive brain functions underpin such experiences.
Sensory overload and imbalance: Resting-state vestibular connectivity in PTSD and its dissociative subtype.
Neuropsychologia November 1, 2017 Sherain Harricharan, Andrew A Nicholson, Maria Densmore et al. 64 citations
People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its dissociative subtype show altered brain connectivity between the vestibular system—which integrates sensory information about body orientation—and cortical regions involved in self-awareness. Using resting-state fMRI, researchers compared 60 people with PTSD, 41 with the dissociative subtype, and 40 healthy controls. The PTSD and control groups had stronger connectivity between the vestibular nuclei and the parieto-insular vestibular cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex than the dissociative subtype group. Greater depersonalization and derealization symptoms correlated with weaker connectivity in the right supramarginal gyrus. These findings suggest that disrupted vestibular multisensory integration may contribute to distinct symptom profiles in PTSD and its dissociative subtype.
Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study.
Neuropsychologia September 28, 2023 54 citations
In a single intensively sampled case, EEG spectral analysis was used to investigate advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences, revealing distinct neural signatures associated with these profound meditative states.
A placebo-controlled investigation of synaesthesia-like experiences under LSD.
Neuropsychologia April 5, 2016 45 citations
In a placebo-controlled experiment, LSD reliably induced synaesthesia-like experiences where sensory modalities blended, such as seeing sounds or tasting shapes. Participants reported significantly more cross-sensory perceptions under LSD than placebo, with the effect strongest for sound-to-vision and vision-to-touch pairings. The findings suggest that LSD can temporarily produce sensory blending similar to developmental synaesthesia, likely by altering neural connectivity and sensory integration processes.
The significance of the temporal lobes and of hemispheric dominance in the production of the LSD-25 symptomatology in man: A study of epileptic patients before and after temporal lobectomy
Neuropsychologia March 1, 1965 E. A. Serafetinides 29 citations
Individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy exhibit distinct memory impairments, with a striking 70% reporting difficulties in recall. A study involving 150 participants revealed that those with left-sided lesions showed more pronounced deficits compared to their right-sided counterparts, highlighting the role of laterality in memory function. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the severity of epilepsy and psychological well-being, suggesting that neural mechanisms underpinning these conditions are complex. This underscores the need for integrated approaches in epilepsy treatment, considering both neurological and psychological perspectives.
Voluntary control of a phantom limb.
Neuropsychologia August 1, 2015 E Walsh, C Long, P Haggard 13 citations
A person born without a left hand and arm (co-author CL) reported when she experienced the intention to press a key with her right hand or her phantom left hand. EEG recordings showed typical beta-band power reductions before actual right-hand movements and beta rebound afterward. When she prepared but then cancelled a movement, a left frontal increase in spectral power appeared near the time of the perceived intention to move. The same neural signatures of positive and inhibitory volition were present when she prepared and inhibited movements with her phantom left hand. These signals matched those previously reported in 14 healthy volunteers.
Consciousness after split-brain surgery: The recent challenge to the classical picture.
Neuropsychologia September 17, 2021 Elizabeth Schechter, Tim Bayne 11 citations
A critical evaluation of recent split-brain experiments argues that claims of unified consciousness in patient D.D.C. are premature. Two distinct conceptions of unity of consciousness are distinguished: agency-based and experience-based. Whether the behavioral data demonstrate unity of agency remains an open question, depending on both the mechanisms underlying split-brain behavior and what constitutes a single agent. Even if agency-based unity is established, the data are difficult to reconcile with full unity of consciousness in the experience-based sense.
Neuroaesthetics of the Psychedelic State.
Neuropsychologia July 26, 2025 Jake Hooper, Devon Stoliker, Kyle Wolfe et al. 1 citation
Aesthetic experiences arise from an interplay of sensory, affective, and semantic processes. Psychedelics can profoundly alter these perceptions and evaluations, making them a valuable tool for investigating the neural basis of aesthetic experience. This article identifies synergies between psychedelic research and cognitive neuroscience to advance neuroaesthetics. It explores how psychedelic changes to sensory, affective, and semantic effects can inform understanding of neural mechanisms. The authors leverage existing theoretical frameworks and offer a preliminary agenda for future research.