Two State Solution:
| Mindfulness v Default State | |
| MINDFULNESS | DEFAULT STATE |
| Anatomy: Central Executive Network, Task Positive Network Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) Anterior Cingulate Cortex Prefrontal Cortex Parietal Cortex Intraparietal Cortex Basal Ganglia (Striatum and caudate) Insula | Anatomy: Default Mode Network (DMN) , Task Negative Network Medial Prefrontal Cortex Posterior Cingulate Cortex Angular Gyrus Hippocampus |
| Behavior: Self or Outer Monitored External direction or self discipline Task Positive Active | Behavior: Unfocussed Mind-Wandering Internal Direction Task Negative |
| Effortful and relatively rare | Effortless and Dominant |
| Working State | Freedom and preferred for most waking life |
| EEG: Beta and alpha in specific topography | Posterior Alpha especially eyes closed |
Function of Active Regions: In Mindful State
Anterior Cingulate: Conflict monitoring, regulates attention
DLPFC: cognitive control, working memory, executive control, goal direction
Posterior parietal cortex (PCC): Spatial attention, directional focus
Frontal Eye Fields: voluntary guided eye movements especially directing attention
Intraparietal sulcus: allocation of energy and focus
Insula: Self Awareness, cognitive control of attention.
Basal Ganglia: Striatum and Caudate: Habit and action selection.
Function of Active Regions: Default Mode Network
Medial Prefrontal Cortex
Posterior Cingulate Cortex
Angular Gyrus
Hippocampus
This sounds like I’m invoking a lot of brain regions to explain the transition between these two states. And it looks hopelessly complex. But there’s a way to simplify. First of all I am not going to draw or show all the brain regions mentioned. That is not necessary.
The takeaway is that two mental states are characterized by networks activating brain regions. Second, I’d like to emphasize one particular region called the Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This is a part of the frontal lobe which will be mentioned again and again in describing brain states. The DLPFC resides in the most evolutionarily advanced parts of the brain. It is best thought of as the supreme watcher or Editor of brain activity in this particular context. When you are awake or thinking and come up with a ridiculous idea, this is the region that finds it ridiculous and will tell you so, providing you are mindful. It may be evaluative and rejecting.
Should you come up with something nonsensical such as a bounding leap over a mountain it is the DLPFC that says so, in order that you immediately and thoroughly quash that idea, especially when you are awake and engaged and mindful. Yet under other conditions, such as the relaxed idyllic DMN state, you are walking or lounging around thinking of nothing in particular and some thought, an ordinarily nonsensical and stupid thought, comes to mind, the DLPFC isn’t active. And that dominatrix of an editor may escape noticing it and fail to tell you and exile that terrible idea. Now you are free to think your nonsensical thought. Only sometimes, the very thought that under intense scrutiny would be rejected, the one that does not conform to your previous mental model, turns out to be the solution to the problem at the back of your mind. Maybe you guessed this already. The same thing happens in dreaming or REM sleep, the tyrannical editor, is temporarily silenced. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
