The neurocircuitry of awakening

See Dan Brown talking about it in this video. He is also co-author in the paper "Mapping complex mind states." Some excerpts from the latter follow. Note that it does not differentiate the different aspect of 'self' as discussed by Damasio. It appears that what it means by 'self' is the autobiographical self-reference system. However Damasio would see some of these results as examples of the proto-self and core self. This neuroscience article compares Damasio's different types of self to meditative states.

"Modulation within the anterior cingulate (ACC) executive hub was observed in the gamma band range. [...] The ACC represents a core brain structure in terms of centralized executive functioning. [...] An overarching theory proposes the key interplay of the ACC in 'self-regulatory' processes, broadly defined. [...] These findings suggest enhanced executive control extending to challenging cognitive, emotional, and physical processing demands, largely observed during periods of sustained attention. Furthermore, enhanced current density within the ACC, d[orsal]ACC, and v[entral]ACC, was exclusive to the gamma-band frequency range, whereby modulation of gamma activity has been associated with increasing complexity of experimental tasks, task difficulty, and mental effort" (49).


"Within this shifted tonic brain meditative state (S1 onwards), collectively, enhanced ACC and parietal cortex current density vector magnitudes in concert with increased activation within the insula, suggest the onset of executive brain networks involved in saliency, conflict monitoring, emotion control and shifts in perspective-taking. We may infer that such neural activity contributed to the cultivation and sustainment of intricate internal states encompassing experiences of non-duality, and having no reference point (thus non-preference). Furthermore, decreases in cortical networks involved with self-referential processing, such as the PCC [posterior cingulate cortex], support the down-regulation of self-orientation, while the continued attenuation of these regions with a simultaneous increase in executive network activity between meditative states provides initial evidence of a dissociability of these networks within an active, ongoing movement towards non-dual states. Such complex functioning is consistent with selfless (and thus effortless), yet active meditation in line with the construct of non-localized awakened awareness and its expression as 'unified compassion'" (51).