Endogenous suspension and reset of consciousness: 7T fMRI brain mapping of the extended cessation meditative endpoint

Abstract

Extended cessation (EC), an advanced meditative state in which consciousness is volitionally suspended and later reset with immense mental clarity, equanimity, and peace, offers an endogenous model for investigating the mechanisms of consciousness. Using ultra-high-resolution 7T fMRI with dense within-subject sampling (N=3), we quantified whole-brain activity, functional and effective connectivity, cortical gradients, and eigenmodes, and related them to chemoarchitecture and cognitive maps. EC is marked by increased activity in unimodal regions, down-regulation in transmodal regions, subcortex, and brainstem, an expansion of the principal gradient, and decrease in low-order global eigenmodes. Cognitive decoding linked EC to heightened perceptual clarity and attention, least with mental suffering, and co-varied with histaminergic H receptors topology. These findings challenge predictions of Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory, while supporting the Active Inference Framework. More broadly, EC demonstrates that consciousness can cease without global suppression, suggesting a potential "reset" mechanism that fosters equanimity and the potential for flourishing.