Endogenous suspension and reset of consciousness: 7T fMRI brain mapping of the extended cessation meditative endpoint

An advanced meditative state called extended cessation (EC), where consciousness is voluntarily suspended and later resumes with heightened clarity and equanimity, provides a natural model for studying consciousness. Using ultra-high-resolution 7T fMRI with dense sampling of three individuals, the research mapped whole-brain activity, connectivity, gradients, and eigenmodes during EC, linking them to brain chemistry and cognitive maps. EC increased activity in sensory regions, reduced activity in higher-order association areas, subcortex, and brainstem, expanded the principal cortical gradient, and decreased low-order global eigenmodes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Extended cessation (EC), an advanced meditative state in which consciousness is volitionally suspended and later reset with immense mental clarity, equanimity, and peace, offers an endogenous model for investigating the mechanisms of consciousness. Using ultra-high-resolution 7T fMRI with dense within-subject sampling (N=3), we quantified whole-brain activity, functional and effective connectivity, cortical gradients, and eigenmodes, and related them to chemoarchitecture and cognitive maps. EC is marked by increased activity in unimodal regions, down-regulation in transmodal regions, subcortex, and brainstem, an expansion of the principal gradient, and decrease in low-order global eigenmodes. Cognitive decoding linked EC to heightened perceptual clarity and attention, least with mental suffering, and co-varied with histaminergic H receptors topology. These findings challenge predictions of Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory, while supporting the Active Inference Framework. More broadly, EC demonstrates that consciousness can cease without global suppression, suggesting a potential “reset” mechanism that fosters equanimity and the potential for flourishing.