EEG oscillations reveal neuroplastic changes in pain processing associated with long-term meditation.
Scientific reports March 27, 2025 Juliana Yordanova, Valentina Nicolardi, Peter Malinowski et al. 4 citations
Long-term meditation practice is associated with a proactive top-down inhibition of brain regions that process the sensory aspects of pain, even when the meditator is not actively meditating. Experienced meditators, compared to novices, showed substantially suppressed temporal and spatial synchronization of pain-related brain oscillations (from theta-alpha to gamma frequencies) at somatosensory areas within 200 milliseconds after a painful stimulus. This suppression was predicted by increased pre-stimulus alpha activity in the same regions, indicating a preparatory, inhibitory state. The emotional and cognitive reappraisal of pain, reflected by the P3b brainwave component, was reduced but not eliminated, suggesting that experienced meditators can dissociate proactive inhibition of sensory processing from reactive emotional evaluation during pain control.