Experienced meditators show greater forward traveling cortical alpha wave strengths.
Neil W Bailey, Aron T Hill, Kate Godfrey, M Prabhavi N Perera, Jakob Hohwy, Andrew W Corcoran, Nigel C Rogasch, Bernadette M Fitzgibbon, Paul B Fitzgerald
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences July 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15401 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMindfulness meditation, which trains attention on sensory experiences with nonjudgmental awareness, is thought to sharpen sensory processing and reduce top-down expectations. This study measured forward and backward traveling cortical alpha waves—proposed to reflect bottom-up inhibition and top-down inhibition, respectively—using electroencephalography in meditators and nonmeditators. During eyes-closed resting (97 participants) and a visual Go/No-go task (126 participants), meditators showed stronger forward traveling waves than nonmeditators in both conditions, and weaker backward traveling waves during rest. These neural differences may underlie enhanced attention and reduced mind-wandering associated with meditation, supporting models where mental training increases sensory awareness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 126 |
| Population | Meditators and nonmeditators |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cortical traveling waves Electroencephalography Predictive processing Meditation mindfulness meditation Experienced meditators |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Meditators exhibited stronger forward traveling cortical alpha waves than nonmeditators during both resting and task performance, and weaker backward traveling waves during rest. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation involves training attention, commonly toward sensory experiences, with nonjudgmental awareness. Theoretical perspectives propose that meditation increases the precision of sensory processing and reduces the generation/elaboration of top-down expectations. Research suggests forward traveling cortical alpha waves may reflect bottom-up inhibition to enhance signal-to-noise ratios of sensory processing, while backward traveling alpha waves may reflect top-down inhibition based on expectations. We used electroencephalography to test whether the strength of forward and backward traveling cortical alpha waves differed between meditators and a matched sample of nonmeditators during eyes-closed resting (N = 97) and during a visual cognitive (Go/No-go) task (N = 126). Our results showed meditators produced stronger forward traveling waves compared to nonmeditators while resting with their eyes closed and during task performance. Meditators also exhibited weaker backward traveling waves while resting with their eyes closed. These results may indicate a neural mechanism underpinning enhanced attention associated with meditation, as well as a potential neural marker of reductions in mind-wandering, suggested to be associated with meditation. The results also support models of brain function that suggest attention modification is achievable through mental training to increase sensory awareness, which might be indexed by the greater strength of forward traveling cortical waves.