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. 2024 Mar;59(5):786-795.
doi: 10.1111/ejn.16164. Epub 2023 Oct 1.

Two models of mind blanking

Angelica Kaufmann  1   2 , Sara Parmigiani  3   2 , Toshikazu Kawagoe  4 , Elliot Zabaroff  2 , Barnaby Wells  2
Affiliations
Free article

Two models of mind blanking

Angelica Kaufmann et al. Eur J Neurosci. 2024 Mar.
Free article

Abstract

Mind blanking is a mental state in which attention does not bring any perceptual input into conscious awareness. As this state is still largely unexplored, we suggest that a comprehensive understanding of mind blanking can be achieved through a multifaceted approach combining self-assessment methods, neuroimaging and neuromodulation. In this article, we explain how electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation could be combined to help determine whether mind blanking is associated with a lack of mental content or a lack of linguistically or conceptually determinable mental content. We also question whether mind blanking occurs spontaneously or intentionally and whether these two forms are instantiated by the same or different neural correlates.

Keywords: Broca's area; attention; conscious awareness; meta-awareness; mind blanking; mind wandering; perception; self-report.

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References

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