How to Catch a Blank Mind? Brain Similarities and Differences between Self- and Probe-Caught Mind Blanking
- Open access
Self- and probe-caught mind blanking share overlapping behavioral and neural features, with significant differences in brain activation linked to meta-awareness.
- Why it matters: Understanding whether different methods of capturing mind blanking reflect the same phenomenon is crucial for accurately studying this elusive mental state and its underlying neural mechanisms.
- What they did: Researchers used fMRI to compare 22 participants performing both self- and probe-caught experience-sampling tasks, analyzing behavioral reports, BOLD activations, and functional connectivity patterns.
- The result: Findings show behavioral and functional connectivity similarities, but greater dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation in self-caught reports, emphasizing the role of meta-awareness in detecting mind blanking.