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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Imaging Neuroscience

Endogenous suspension of phenomenal consciousness during extended cessation: Regional homogeneity analysis of multi-participant 7T fMRI of an advanced meditative endpoint

  • Winson F.Z. Yang1,2
  • Akila Kadambi3,4
  • Ruby Potash1,2
  • Terje Sparby5,6,7
  • Matthew D. Sacchet1,2
7 affiliations
  1. 1Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
  2. 2Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
  3. 3Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  4. 4Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  5. 5Steiner University College, Oslo, Norway
  6. 6Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
  7. 7Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
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Abstract

Extended cessation (EC) is a rare advanced meditative state characterized by the voluntary absence of reportable phenomenal experience, followed by reproducible aftereffects including immense mental clarity, equanimity, and peace. EC offers an endogenous model for investigating the mechanisms of consciousness. In a small-N case study (N = 3) using ultra-high-resolution 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with dense within-subject sampling, we quantified whole-brain activity and related it to chemoarchitecture and cognitive maps. EC is marked by increased activity in unimodal sensory cortices and viscerosensory brainstem nuclei, and down-regulation in transmodal regions, subcortex and brainstem. Meta-analytic cognitive decoding linked EC to perceptual clarity and attentional processes, and away from distress-related domains. Multivariate coupling to normative neurotransmitter maps revealed that EC-related connectivity changes covaried with histaminergic H3 receptors topology. These findings constrain prevailing theories of consciousness by demonstrating that loss of experience need not entail global neural suppression, and supports accounts emphasizing selective precision modulation and hierarchical decoupling. More broadly, EC demonstrates that consciousness can cease without global suppression, suggesting a potential “reset” mechanism that fosters equanimity and the potential for flourishing.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{yang2026endogenous,
  title = {{Endogenous suspension of phenomenal consciousness during extended cessation: Regional homogeneity analysis of multi-participant 7T fMRI of an advanced meditative endpoint}},
  author = {Winson F.Z. Yang and Akila Kadambi and Ruby Potash and Terje Sparby and Matthew D. Sacchet},
  journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1162/imag.a.1443},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1162/imag.a.1443},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Endogenous suspension of phenomenal consciousness during extended cessation: Regional homogeneity analysis of multi-participant 7T fMRI of an advanced meditative endpoint
AU  - Winson F.Z. Yang
AU  - Akila Kadambi
AU  - Ruby Potash
AU  - Terje Sparby
AU  - Matthew D. Sacchet
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/05
JO  - Imaging Neuroscience
DO  - 10.1162/imag.a.1443
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1162/imag.a.1443
AB  - Extended cessation (EC) is a rare advanced meditative state characterized by the voluntary absence of reportable phenomenal experience, followed by reproducible aftereffects including immense mental clarity, equanimity, and peace. EC offers an endogenous model for investigating the mechanisms of consciousness. In a small-N case study (N = 3) using ultra-high-resolution 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with dense within-subject sampling, we quantified whole-brain activity and related it to chemoarchitecture and cognitive maps. EC is marked by increased activity in unimodal sensory cortices and viscerosensory brainstem nuclei, and down-regulation in transmodal regions, subcortex and brainstem. Meta-analytic cognitive decoding linked EC to perceptual clarity and attentional processes, and away from distress-related domains. Multivariate coupling to normative neurotransmitter maps revealed that EC-related connectivity changes covaried with histaminergic H3 receptors topology. These findings constrain prevailing theories of consciousness by demonstrating that loss of experience need not entail global neural suppression, and supports accounts emphasizing selective precision modulation and hierarchical decoupling. More broadly, EC demonstrates that consciousness can cease without global suppression, suggesting a potential “reset” mechanism that fosters equanimity and the potential for flourishing.
SN  - 2837-6056
ER  -