Synergistic Correlates of Self-Dissolution in Meditation: Global Increases and Selective Reductions in Neural Complexity

The sense of being a bounded self can be attenuated or dissolved while awareness remains. Analyzing magnetoencephalography data from 46 long-term meditators, the study found that both meditation conditions (self-boundary dissolution and maintenance) increased broadband entropy rate and directed information transfer compared to rest, driven mainly by high-frequency activity. Localized reductions in information transfer from the anterior cingulate to posterior cingulate and in high-beta entropy rate in sensorimotor and posterior-medial cortices differentiated the two meditation conditions. Reduced orbitofrontal cortex entropy rate and reduced information transfer from occipital, cingulate, limbic, and subcortical areas correlated strongly with self-boundary dissolution phenomenology. Together with a previously reported neural correlate of reduced high-beta power in the posterior-medial cortex, these two neural correlates explained over half the variance in phenomenological dissolution scores (R² = 0.52).

Study at a glance

Abstract

A fundamental aspect of human experience is that of being a bounded and embodied agent. This basic sense of self typically operates implicitly, yet traditional contemplative accounts alongside recent work in philosophy, phenomenology and neuroscience suggests that it can be attenuated or even fully dissolved while retaining awareness. Here we present an extended analysis of data from a large-scale neurophenomenological study investigating such minimal modes of awareness, in which 46 long-term meditators alternated between resting-state and meditative conditions of self-boundary (SB) dissolution and maintenance during magnetoencephalography. Results show global increases in broadband entropy rate and directed information transfer in both meditation conditions compared to rest. Spectral decomposition of both measures reveals that broadband effects are driven mostly by high-frequency activity, and that information transfer and entropy rates exhibit qualitatively different spectral patterns. Although these global changes don’t clearly differentiate meditative self-boundary dissolution, localized reductions in information transfer from the anterior cingulate to mid and post cingulate and in high-beta entropy rate in sensorimotor and posterior-medial cortices did differentiate the meditation conditions. Furthermore, a relative reduction of broadband orbitofrontal cortex entropy rate, and broadband information transfer from occipital, cingulate, limbic and subcortical areas, both correlated strongly with SB-dissolution phenomenology. Together with a previously reported neural correlate from the same dataset of reduced high-beta power in the posterior-medial cortex, these two neural correlates synergistically explained over half the variance in phenomenological dissolution scores (R² = 0.52), exhibiting a neurophenomenological association of unprecedented strength. By integrating nuanced phenomenology with multiscale neural metrics, our findings provide novel insight into self-attenuation and advance the empirical investigation of minimal phenomenal experience.