Intensive training induces longitudinal changes in meditation state-related EEG oscillatory activity
Manish Saggar, Brandon King, Anthony Paul Zanesco, Katherine A. Maclean, Stephen R. Aichele, Tonya L. Jacobs, David A. Bridwell, Phillip R. Shaver, Erika L. Rosenberg, Baljinder K. Sahdra, Emilio Ferrer, Akaysha C. Tang, George R. Mangun, B. Alan Wallace, Risto P Miikkulainen, Clifford Saron
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIntensive meditation training over three months produces replicable changes in brain electrical activity. Retreat participants who practiced focused attention meditation showed reduced beta-band brain wave power over front and back regions of the scalp during mindfulness of breathing. Individual alpha frequency also decreased across retreats, and the decrease was directly related to the amount of meditation practice. These changes in brain oscillatory patterns may underlie improvements in attention and cognition from contemplative practice.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal wait-list controlled study |
|---|---|
| Population | Retreat participants practicing focused attention meditation |
| Intervention | focused attention (FA) meditation |
| Duration | Three months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Intensive meditation training Consistent meditation training Meditation practice Brain's electrical patterns |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Replicable reductions in meditative state-related beta-band power and decreases in individual alpha frequency occurred during intensive meditation training, with alpha frequency change directly related to amount of practice. |
Abstract
The capacity to focus one's attention for an extended period of time can be increased through training in contemplative practices. However, the cognitive processes engaged during meditation that support trait changes in cognition are not well characterized. We conducted a longitudinal wait-list controlled study of intensive meditation training. Retreat participants practiced focused attention (FA) meditation techniques for three months during an initial retreat. Wait-list participants later undertook formally identical training during a second retreat. Dense-array scalp-recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected during 6 min of mindfulness of breathing meditation at three assessment points during each retreat. Second-order blind source separation, along with a novel semi-automatic artifact removal tool (SMART), was used for data preprocessing. We observed replicable reductions in meditative state-related beta-band power bilaterally over anteriocentral and posterior scalp regions. In addition, individual alpha frequency (IAF) decreased across both retreats and in direct relation to the amount of meditative practice. These findings provide evidence for replicable longitudinal changes in brain oscillatory activity during meditation and increase our understanding of the cortical processes engaged during meditation that may support long-term improvements in cognition.