Brain Switching Off "Self"

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have found that self-related function shuts down during intense sensory tasks, suggesting that an internal "observer" does not play any part in vivid sensory experiences. In the experiment, subjects were asked to look at pictures or listen to musical pieces, and to perform two types of processing during the activity. In order to explore sensory processing, researchers made the subjects identify the images as animal/non-animal, and the music as trumpet/non-trumpet. To explore introspection, researchers asked the subjects to identify whether they felt strongly or neutrally about the images and music. fMRIs taken during these activities showed that sensory processing activated the sensory cortex and related structures, whereras introspection activated the prefrontal cortex. Most importantly, the pre-frontal cortex was silenced during the intense sensory processing. From the article:

"To conclude, the picture that emerges from the present results is that, during intense perceptual engagement, all neuronal resources are focused on sensory cortex, and the distracting self-related cortex is inactive. Thus, the term "losing yourself" receives here a clear neuronal correlate. This theme has a tantalizing echoing in Eastern philosophies such as Zen teachings, which emphasize the need to enter into a 'mindless,' selfless mental state to achieve a true sense of reality."