Oscillatory brain mechanisms of the hypnotically-induced out-of-body experience

Maor Zeev-Wolf, Yair Dor-Ziderman, Abraham Goldstein, Omer Bonne, Eitan G. Abramowitz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the most challenging questions regarding the nature and neural basis of consciousness is the embodied dimension of the phenomenon, that is, feeling located within the body and viewing the world from that spatial perspective. Current theories in neurophysiology highlight the active role of multisensory and sensorimotor integration in supporting self-location and self-perspective, and propose the right temporal-parietal-junction (rTPJ) as a key area for such function. These theories are based mainly on findings from two experimental paradigms: manipulation of bottom-up multisensory information integration regarding one's body location (full-body illusion), or direct and invasive manipulation disrupting brain activity at the rTPJ. In this study we take a different approach by using hypnotic suggestion – a non-invasive top-down technique – to manipulate the subjective experience of self-location. The brain activity of 18 right-handed participants was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG) while their subjective experience of self-location was hypnotically manipulated. Spectral analyses were conducted on the spontaneous MEG data before and during an induction of an out-of-body experience (OBE) by a trained psychiatrist. The results indicate high correlations between power at alpha and high-gamma frequency-bands and the degree of perceived change in self-location. Regions exhibiting such correlations include temporal-occipital regions, the rTPJ, as well as frontal and midline regions. These findings are in line with an oscillatory-based predictive coding framework.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)19-30
Number of pages12
JournalCortex
Volume96
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This project was partly supported by the I-CORE Program of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and The Israel Science Foundation (grant No. 51/11 ).

FundersFunder number
Israel Science Foundation51/11
Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education of Israel

    Keywords

    • Alpha band
    • Gamma band
    • Hypnotic suggestion
    • MEG
    • Out-of-body-experience
    • Predictive coding
    • Self-location

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