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Brain Imaging

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...

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Gray and White Matter Networks Predict Mindfulness and Mind Wandering Traits: A Data Fusion Machine Learning

Minah Chang¹, Sara Sorella², Cristiano Crescentini²

¹Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.

|September 27, 2025

Summary

This study reveals specific brain networks, including gray and white matter structures, that predict individual differences in mindfulness and mind wandering. These findings highlight the neuroanatomical basis of attentional control.

Keywords:

acting with awareness data fusion networks mindfulness parallel independent component analysis spontaneous/deliberate mind wandering structural MRI

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Neuroimaging

Background:

Mindfulness and mind wandering are key to attentional control and well-being.
Their neural underpinnings remain largely unknown.
Identifying these links is crucial for understanding cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify structural brain networks (gray matter and white matter) predicting individual differences in mindfulness.
To investigate networks associated with distinct mind wandering tendencies (deliberate and spontaneous).

Main Methods:

Utilized structural MRI data from 76 participants.
Applied parallel independent component analysis, an unsupervised machine learning technique.
Correlated identified brain networks with self-reported mindfulness and mind wandering traits.

Main Results:

A gray matter network (caudate, thalamus) predicted mindfulness and deliberate mind wandering, while reducing spontaneous mind wandering via "acting with awareness."
Two white matter networks (frontoparietal, temporal) were directly linked to decreased spontaneous mind wandering.
These networks demonstrate specific neuroanatomical correlates for mindfulness and mind wandering.

Conclusions:

Specific gray and white matter structures underpin mindfulness and distinct mind wandering forms.
"Acting with awareness" mediates spontaneous mind wandering, supporting attentional control models.
Findings inform research on mindfulness, interventions, and clinical applications.