A list of sources for the neuroscience studies supporting the link between the default mode network (DMN) and the spiritual “ego” – most of these are presented in the book although there are a few extra that I’ve added on since publication as this topic continues to emerge in the public sphere:
Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task (National Institute of Health 2015)
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity (National Institute of Health 2011)
Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state (National Institute of Health 2012)
Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness (National Institute of Health 2018)
Brain system for mental orientation in space, time, and person (National Institute of Health 2015)
Neurobiology of Spirituality (National Institute of Health 2008)
TPN vs. DMN – Neural Mechanisms and Mindfulness (2017) Good general neuroscience overview of meditation as well as DMN terminology and function explained
Three Neural Networks Dancing – “blah, blah”, tasking and control (Gary Weber 2014)
The Brain’s Default Mode: What Is It And Why Meditation Is The Antidote (Medium 2019)
What Goes On in the Brain of a Person with Depression (Psychology Today 2021)
Jeff Nirenberg 