The EEG spectral fingerprints of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices
bioRxiv Preprint Server July 6, 2021 Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Eduardo A. Bracho Montes de Oca, Kaat Alaerts preprint
Experienced meditators report greater focus and less mind wandering during meditation than non-meditators, and these differences are reflected in their brain activity. In a study of 29 experienced meditators and 29 non-meditators, EEG recordings during rest and breath-focus meditations showed that meditators, but not controls, had a significant decrease in individual alpha frequency and amplitude and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation compared to rest. Controls, but not meditators, showed increased alpha amplitude during mind wandering relative to breath focus. The findings indicate that meditation training alters both the subjective experience and the oscillatory and non-oscillatory components of brain activity.