Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37943791›Full record

ArticleCerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)2024

Intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of volitional control of brain activity in deep absorptive meditation states.

Winson Fu Zun Yang, Avijit Chowdhury, Marta Bianciardi, Remko van Lutterveld, Terje Sparby, Matthew D Sacchet

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed
11.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. ENIGMA-Meditation: Worldwide Consortium for Neuroscientific Investigations of Meditation Practices.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Winson Fu Zun YangMeditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6208-0067
Avijit ChowdhuryMeditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Marta BianciardiAthinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Remko van LutterveldDepartment of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, CX Utrecht 3584, the Netherlands.
Terje SparbySteiner University College, Oslo 0260, Norway.
Matthew D SacchetMeditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Harvard University · USUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NLWitten/Herdecke University · DE

Funding

Brainstem-based imaging biomarkers of premanifest synucleinopathyR01AG063982 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI BIANCIARDI, MARTA · 2020 to 2024
$3.6M
Individualized brain systems and depressionR01MH125850 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI SACCHET, MATTHEW D · 2022 to 2024
$1.3M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG063982NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH125850NIMH NIH HHS R01-MH125850
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Jhanas are profound states of mind achieved through advanced meditation, offering valuable insights into the nature of consciousness and tools to enhance well-being. Yet, its neurophenomenology remains limited due to methodological difficulties and the rarity of advanced meditation practitioners. We conducted a highly exploratory study to investigate the neurophenomenology of jhanas in an intensively sampled adept meditator case study (4 hr 7T fMRI collected in 27 sessions) who performed jhana meditation and rated specific aspects of experience immediately thereafter. Linear mixed models and correlations were used to examine relations among brain activity and jhana phenomenology. We identified distinctive patterns of brain activity in specific cortical, subcortical, brainstem, and cerebellar regions associated with jhana. Furthermore, we observed correlations between brain activity and phenomenological qualities of attention, jhanic qualities, and narrative processing, highlighting the distinct nature of jhanas compared to non-meditative states. Our study presents the most rigorous evidence yet that jhana practice deconstructs consciousness, offering unique insights into consciousness and significant implications for mental health and well-being.

Indexed as

MeditationAttentionBrainConsciousnessHumansMagnetic Resonance Imaging7T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)advanced meditationbrainstem and thalamusconsciousnessneurophenomenology

Identifiers

PMID37943791
PMCPMC10793575
OpenAlexW4388515907

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.