Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference

Abstract

It has long been theorised that there are two temporally distinct forms of self-reference: extended self-reference linking experiences across time, and momentary self-reference centred on the present. To characterise these two aspects of awareness, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine monitoring of enduring traits ('narrative' focus, NF) or momentary experience ('experiential' focus, EF) in both novice participants and those having attended an 8 week course in mindfulness meditation, a program that trains individuals to develop focused attention on the present. In novices, EF yielded focal reductions in self-referential cortical midline regions (medial prefrontal cortex, mPFC) associated with NF. In trained participants, EF resulted in more marked and pervasive reductions in the mPFC, and increased engagement of a right lateralised network, comprising the lateral PFC and viscerosomatic areas such as the insula, secondary somatosensory cortex and inferior parietal lobule. Functional connectivity analyses further demonstrated a strong coupling between the right insula and the mPFC in novices that was uncoupled in the mindfulness group. These results suggest a fundamental neural dissociation between two distinct forms of self-awareness that are habitually integrated but can be dissociated through attentional training: the self across time and in the present moment.

Figures

Fig. 1

Cortical midline areas associated with the narrative self focus condition (Narrative > time-series baseline) collapsed across MT (following 8 weeks of MT) and novice (pre MT) groups. VMPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; DMPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex.

Fig. 2

Experiential and Narrative self-focus conditions in the novice (pre MT) group. (A) Areas of greater association with the Narrative condition (Narrative > Experiential) are in blue, and (B) areas of greater association with the Experiential condition (Experiential > Narrative focus) are in red. VMPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; DMPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; LPFC, lateral prefrontal cortex; PP, posterior parietal cortex.

Fig. 3

Experiential vs Narrative focus conditions following 8 weeks of MT. Areas of activation showing a greater association with the experiential condition (Experiential > Narrative focus) are in red, and narrative-associated areas (Narrative > Experiential) are in blue: (A) ventral and dorsal MPFC, (B) right LPFC, (C) right Insula and (D) right SII cortex. Bar graphs indicate region of interest analyses of the magnitude of activation associated with the Narrative vs Experiential contrast in the MT and novice groups. Left panel green region represents y coordinate of each ROI. novice, pre MT group; MT, post MT group; VMPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; DMPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; LPFC, lateral prefrontal cortex; Insula, insula; IPL, inferior parietal lobule; SII, secondary somatosensory area.

Fig. 4

Functional connectivity in the novice and MT groups. Areas showing reduced connectivity with the right insula (novice > MT) are in blue (A), and areas showing increased connectivity (MT > novice) are in red (B). The right panel demonstrates rank ordered inter-regional correlations with the right insular ROI in both the novice and MT groups. VMPFC, ventromedial prefrontal; PCC, posterior cingulate; LPFC, lateral prefrontal cortex.