States of mind: characterizing the neural bases of focus and mind-wandering through dynamic functional connectivity
Abstract
During tasks that require continuous engagement, the mind alternates between mental states of focused attention and mind-wandering. Existing research has assessed the functional connectivity of intrinsic brain networks underlying the experience and training of these mental states using "static" approaches that assess connectivity across an entire task. To disentangle the different functional connectivity between brain regions that occur as the mind fluctuates between discrete brain states, we employed a dynamic functional connectivity approach that characterized brain activity using a sliding window. This approach identified distinct states of functional connectivity between regions of the executive control, salience, and default networks during a task requiring sustained attention to the sensations of breathing. The frequency of these distinct brain states demonstrated opposing correlations with dispositional mindfulness, suggesting a correspondence to the mental states of focused attention and mind-wandering. We then determined that an intervention emphasizing the cultivation of mindfulness increased the frequency of the state that had been associated with a greater propensity for focused attention, especially for those who improved most in dispositional mindfulness. These findings provide supporting evidence that mind-wandering involves the corecruitment of brain regions within the executive and default networks. More generally, this work illustrates how emerging neuroimaging methods may allow for the characterization of discrete brain states based on patterns of functional connectivity even when external indications of these states are difficult or impossible to measure.
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In mindfulness research, meta-analyses and systematic reviews regularly lament the lack of consistency in findings, often citing the absence of consensus in construct specificity and operational definitions as a root cause.
“Yet meta-analyses and systematic reviews regularly lament the lack of consistency in findings, often citing the absence of consensus in construct specificity and operational definitions as a root cause (Bishop et al., 2004; Mooneyham et al., 2016; Van Dam et al., 2018; Anālayo, 2019; Phan-Le et al., 2022).”
From Aspects of acceptance: building a shared conceptual understanding (2024) · cites this paper as Mooneyham et al., 2016
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Mooneyham, B. W., Mrazek, M. D., Mrazek, A. J., Mrazek, K. L., Phillips, D. T., & Schooler, J. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
- Northwestern University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press - Journals
- Published
- 2017-03-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 495-506
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- OpenAlex
- W2536168263
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7
- FWCI
- 5.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- John Templeton Foundation
- Institute of Education Sciences
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Mind wandering and attention
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- mind wandering, focused attention, dynamic functional connectivity, trait mindfulness, mindfulness-based interventions, frontoparietal network, salience network, default mode network, sustained attention, breathing, brain states, sliding window analysis
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Brain, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neural Pathways, Neuropsychological Tests, Practice, Psychological, Respiration, Thinking, Cluster Analysis, Young Adult, Executive Function, Mindfulness
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