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Han Y, Du L, Huang Q, Cui D, Li Y. Enhancing specialization of attention-related EEG power and phase synchronism brain patterns by meditation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae288. [PMID: 39024158 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Meditation, mental training that aims to improve one's ability to regulate their cognition, has been widely applied in clinical medicine. However, the mechanism by which meditation affects brain activity is still unclear. To explore this question, electroencephalogram data were recorded in 20 long-term meditators and 20 nonmeditators during 2 high-level cognitive tasks (meditation and mental calculation) and a relaxed resting state (control). Then, the power spectral density and phase synchronization of the electroencephalogram were extracted and compared between these 2 groups. In addition, machine learning was used to discriminate the states within each group. We found that the meditation group showed significantly higher classification accuracy and calculation efficiency than the control group. Then, during the calculation task, both the power and global phase synchronism of the gamma response decreased in meditators compared to their relaxation state; yet, no such change was observed in the control group. A potential explanation for our observations is that meditation improved the flexibility of the brain through neural plastic mechanism. In conclusion, we provided robust evidence that long-term meditation experience could produce detectable neurophysiological changes in brain activity, which possibly enhance the functional segregation and/or specialization in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupeng Han
- School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou 510641, China
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
| | - Lizhao Du
- Shanghai Med-X Engineering Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huashan Road 1954, Shanghai, 200030, China
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Qiyun Huang
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
| | - Donghong Cui
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Humin Road 3210, Shanghai 201108, China
- Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huanshan Road 1954, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yuanqing Li
- School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou 510641, China
- Research Center for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Pazhou Laboratory, Qiaotou Street 248, Guangzhou 510665, China
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2
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Rodriguez-Larios J, Foong Wong K, Lim J. Assessing the effects of an 8-week mindfulness training program on neural oscillations and self-reports during meditation practice. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299275. [PMID: 38843236 PMCID: PMC11156404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous literature suggests that mindfulness meditation can have positive effects on mental health, however, its mechanisms of action are still unclear. In this pre-registered study, we investigate the effects of mindfulness training on lapses of attention (and their associated neural correlates) during meditation practice. For this purpose, we recorded Electroencephalogram (EEG) during meditation practice before and after 8 weeks of mindfulness training (or waitlist) in 41 participants (21 treatment and 20 controls). In order to detect lapses of attention and characterize their EEG correlates, we interrupted participants during meditation to report their level of focus and drowsiness. First, we show that self-reported lapses of attention during meditation practice were associated to an increased occurrence of theta oscillations (3-6 Hz), which were slower in frequency and more spatially widespread than theta oscillations occurring during focused attention states. Then, we show that mindfulness training did not reduce the occurrence of lapses of attention nor their associated EEG correlate (i.e. theta oscillations) during meditation. Instead, we find that mindfulness training was associated with a significant slowing of alpha oscillations in frontal electrodes during meditation. Crucially, frontal alpha slowing during meditation practice has been reported in experienced meditators and is thought to reflect relative decreases in arousal levels. Together, our findings provide insights into the EEG correlates of mindfulness meditation, which could have important implications for the identification of its mechanisms of action and/or the development of neuromodulation protocols aimed at facilitating meditation practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kian Foong Wong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Julian Lim
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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3
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Borghesi F, Cremascoli R, Chirico A, Bianchi L, Di Moia A, Priano L, Piedimonte A, Mauro A, Cipresso P. Mind and body connection in expert meditators: a computational study based on central and peripheral nervous system. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:117. [PMID: 38454382 PMCID: PMC10921575 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04413-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
A meditative 'technique' is conceived as a continuum of different affective states involving mind and body jointly. Meditative practices can involve cognitive effort (e.g., focused attention and open-minded techniques), as well as automatic and implicit practices (e.g., transcendental techniques). The NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique is a brief, comprehensive meditation technique relying on mind and body connection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the state and the trait neurophysiological correlates of NGALSO meditation practice. First, 19 EEG channels and a 3-lead ECG signal were recorded from 10 expert meditators (more than 7 years of daily meditation) and 10 healthy inexpert participants (controls) who underwent the same meditative procedure. The neuropsychological profiles of experts and controls were compared. Results showed that expert meditators had significantly higher power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher sympathetic tone with lower parasympathetic tone after meditation. Conversely, the control group had significantly less power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher parasympathetic tone with lower sympathetic tone after meditation. A machine learning approach also allowed us to classify experts vs. controls correctly by using only EEG Theta bands before or after meditation. ECG results allowed us to show a significantly higher effort by expert meditators vs. controls, thus suggesting that a higher effort is required for this meditation, in line with the principle 'no pain, no gain' in body and mind.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Riccardo Cremascoli
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Alice Chirico
- Research Center in Communication Psychology, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Bianchi
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Amalia Di Moia
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Priano
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Mauro
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Pietro Cipresso
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
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4
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Ibáñez-Molina A, Crespo Cobo Y, Soriano Peña MF, Iglesias-Parro S, Ruiz de Miras J. Mutual information of multiple rhythms in schizophrenia. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:285-295. [PMID: 38091050 PMCID: PMC10917874 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02744-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Interactions between different cortical rhythms, such as slow and fast oscillations, have been hypothesized to underlie many cognitive functions. In patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, there is some evidence indicating that the interplay between slow and fast oscillations might be impaired or disrupted. In this study, we investigated multiple oscillatory interactions in schizophrenia using a novel approach based on information theory. This method allowed us to investigate interactions from a new perspective, where two or more rhythm interactions could be analyzed at the same time. We calculated the mutual information of multiple rhythms (MIMR) for EEG segments registered in resting state. Following previous studies, we focused on rhythm interactions between theta, alpha, and gamma. The results showed that, in general, MIMR was higher in patients than in controls for alpha-gamma and theta-gamma couplings. This finding of an increased coupling between slow and fast rhythms in schizophrenia may indicate complex interactions in the Default Mode Network (DMN) related to hyperactivation of internally guided cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yasmina Crespo Cobo
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain.
- Department of Psychology, St. Agustín University Hospital, Av. San Cristóbal, 2D, 23700, Linares, Jaén, Spain.
| | - Maria Felipa Soriano Peña
- Department of Psychology, St. Agustín University Hospital, Av. San Cristóbal, 2D, 23700, Linares, Jaén, Spain
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5
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Alaerts K, Moerkerke M, Daniels N, Zhang Q, Grazia R, Steyaert J, Prinsen J, Boets B. Chronic oxytocin improves neural decoupling at rest in children with autism: an exploratory RCT. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024. [PMID: 38400592 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Shifts in peak frequencies of oscillatory neural rhythms are put forward as a principal mechanism by which cross-frequency coupling/decoupling is implemented in the brain. During active neural processing, functional integration is facilitated through transitory formations of "harmonic" cross-frequency couplings, whereas "nonharmonic" decoupling among neural oscillatory rhythms is postulated to characterize the resting, default state of the brain, minimizing the occurrence of spurious, noisy, background couplings. METHODS Within this exploratory, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assessed whether the transient occurrence of nonharmonic and harmonic relationships between peak-frequencies in the alpha (8-14 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) bands is impacted by intranasal administration of oxytocin, a neuromodulator implicated in improving homeostasis and reducing stress/anxiety. To do so, resting-state electroencephalography was acquired before and after 4 weeks of oxytocin administration (12 IU twice-daily) in children with autism spectrum disorder (8-12 years, n = 33 oxytocin; n = 34 placebo). At the baseline, neural assessments of children with autism were compared with those of a matched cohort of children without autism (n = 40). RESULTS Compared to nonautistic peers, autistic children displayed a lower incidence of nonharmonic alpha-theta cross-frequency decoupling, indicating a higher incidence of spurious "noisy" coupling in their resting brain (p = .001). Dimensionally, increased neural coupling was associated with more social difficulties (p = .002) and lower activity of the parasympathetic "rest & digest" branch of the autonomic nervous system (p = .018), indexed with high-frequency heart-rate-variability. Notably, after oxytocin administration, the transient formation of nonharmonic cross-frequency configurations was increased in the cohort of autistic children (p < .001), indicating a beneficial effect of oxytocin on reducing spurious cross-frequency-interactions. Furthermore, parallel epigenetics changes of the oxytocin receptor gene indicated that the neural effects were likely mediated by changes in endogenous oxytocinergic signaling (p = .006). CONCLUSIONS Chronic oxytocin induced important homeostatic changes in the resting-state intrinsic neural frequency architecture, reflective of reduced noisy oscillatory couplings and improved signal-to-noise properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Alaerts
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Neuromodulation Laboratory, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthijs Moerkerke
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Neuromodulation Laboratory, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Neuromodulation Laboratory, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ricchiuti Grazia
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Neuromodulation Laboratory, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jellina Prinsen
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Neuromodulation Laboratory, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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6
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Demarest P, Rustamov N, Swift J, Xie T, Adamek M, Cho H, Wilson E, Han Z, Belsten A, Luczak N, Brunner P, Haroutounian S, Leuthardt EC. A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3433. [PMID: 38341457 PMCID: PMC10858946 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53261-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7 Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study's objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 ± 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 ± 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Demarest
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Nabi Rustamov
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - James Swift
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Tao Xie
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Markus Adamek
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hohyun Cho
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Elizabeth Wilson
- Division of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Zhuangyu Han
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Alexander Belsten
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nicholas Luczak
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Peter Brunner
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Simon Haroutounian
- Division of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Eric C Leuthardt
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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7
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Heldmann M, Rohde LS, Münte TF, Ye Z. Cross-frequency and inter-regional phase synchronization in explicit transitive inference. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad494. [PMID: 38112627 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Explicit logical reasoning, like transitive inference, is a hallmark of human intelligence. This study investigated cortical oscillations and their interactions in transitive inference with EEG. Participants viewed premises describing abstract relations among items. They accurately recalled the relationship between old pairs of items, effectively inferred the relationship between new pairs of items, and discriminated between true and false relationships for new pairs. First, theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha oscillations (8-15 Hz) had distinct functional roles. Frontal theta oscillations distinguished between new and old pairs, reflecting the inference of new information. Parietal alpha oscillations changed with serial position and symbolic distance of the pairs, representing the underlying relational structure. Frontal alpha oscillations distinguished between true and false pairs, linking the new information with the underlying relational structure. Second, theta and alpha oscillations interacted through cross-frequency and inter-regional phase synchronization. Frontal theta-alpha 1:2 phase locking appeared to coordinate spectrally diverse neural activity, enhanced for new versus old pairs and true versus false pairs. Alpha-band frontal-parietal phase coherence appeared to coordinate anatomically distributed neural activity, enhanced for new versus old pairs and false versus true pairs. It suggests that cross-frequency and inter-regional phase synchronization among theta and alpha oscillations supports human transitive inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Heldmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
- Center for Brain, Behavior & Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
| | | | - Thomas F Münte
- Center for Brain, Behavior & Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23538, Germany
| | - Zheng Ye
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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8
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Yadav H, Maini S. Electroencephalogram based brain-computer interface: Applications, challenges, and opportunities. MULTIMEDIA TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS 2023:1-45. [PMID: 37362726 PMCID: PMC10157593 DOI: 10.1007/s11042-023-15653-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) is an exciting and emerging research area for researchers and scientists. It is a suitable combination of software and hardware to operate any device mentally. This review emphasizes the significant stages in the BCI domain, current problems, and state-of-the-art findings. This article also covers how current results can contribute to new knowledge about BCI, an overview of BCI from its early developments to recent advancements, BCI applications, challenges, and future directions. The authors pointed to unresolved issues and expressed how BCI is valuable for analyzing the human brain. Humans' dependence on machines has led humankind into a new future where BCI can play an essential role in improving this modern world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitesh Yadav
- Department of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology, Longowal, Punjab India
| | - Surita Maini
- Department of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology, Longowal, Punjab India
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9
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Deshmukh VD. The Electroencephalographic Brainwave Spectrum, Mindful Meditation, and Awareness: Hypothesis. Int J Yoga 2023; 16:42-48. [PMID: 37583535 PMCID: PMC10424274 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_34_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
It is hypothesized that being mindfully aware is a spontaneous state of being. It is imbued with joy, peace and happiness. Such a state is periodically revealed during restful attentiveness or presence. It is also associated with spontaneous brain alpha activity of 8-13 Hz. In deep nonrapid eye movement sleep, there is synchronous delta activity at a coherent frequency of 0.1 Hz. Both of these brainwave ground states are spontaneous, calm and effortless. When any physical or mental effort is made, the alpha rhythm is desynchronized, and it is superposed by faster brain waves of beta (13-30 Hz) and gamma frequencies (30-150 Hz). This is associated with a stream of dualistic conscious experiences with contents. During deep sleep, delta activity is superposed by beta and gamma activity with microarousals resulting in dream experiences. During effortless, meditative awareness, the whole family of alpha rhythm is synchronized including (a) Occipital-parietal alpha with visual clarity, formless color, and the absence of visual imagery (b) Frontal eye-field alpha with relatively motionless eyes, and the absence of voluntary actions or plans to move the eyes in some direction, along with nonactive working memory, (c) Somatosensory alpha or Mu rhythm from the somatic motor-sensory cortex with the resultant stillness of the body including head, face, larynx, spine, hands and legs, (d) Mid-temporal auditory alpha with vocal quietness and internal verbal silence (Maunam) with a feeling of spontaneous silence and serenity, (e) Cingulate and precuneus alpha resulting in freedom from autobiographical memories and the sense of agency or ego. The insular cortex serves as a gatekeeper, a hierarchical controller to switch between conscious engagement or disengagement from the internal or the external world. It switches between the default mode network and the executive frontoparietal networks, between the sequential and the parallel modes of functioning. Mindful consciousness is local and dualistic, whereas mindful awareness is nonlocal and nondual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod D. Deshmukh
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Jacksonville Campus, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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10
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Cooper AC, Ventura B, Northoff G. Beyond the veil of duality-topographic reorganization model of meditation. Neurosci Conscious 2022; 2022:niac013. [PMID: 36237370 PMCID: PMC9552929 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niac013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Meditation can exert a profound impact on our mental life, with proficient practitioners often reporting an experience free of boundaries between a separate self and the environment, suggesting an explicit experience of "nondual awareness." What are the neural correlates of such experiences and how do they relate to the idea of nondual awareness itself? In order to unravel the effects that meditation has on the brain's spatial topography, we review functional magnetic resonance imaging brain findings from studies specific to an array of meditation types and meditator experience levels. We also review findings from studies that directly probe the interaction between meditation and the experience of the self. The main results are (i) decreased posterior default mode network (DMN) activity, (ii) increased central executive network (CEN) activity, (iii) decreased connectivity within posterior DMN as well as between posterior and anterior DMN, (iv) increased connectivity within the anterior DMN and CEN, and (v) significantly impacted connectivity between the DMN and CEN (likely a nonlinear phenomenon). Together, these suggest a profound organizational shift of the brain's spatial topography in advanced meditators-we therefore propose a topographic reorganization model of meditation (TRoM). One core component of the TRoM is that the topographic reorganization of DMN and CEN is related to a decrease in the mental-self-processing along with a synchronization with the more nondual layers of self-processing, notably interoceptive and exteroceptive-self-processing. This reorganization of the functionality of both brain and self-processing can result in the explicit experience of nondual awareness. In conclusion, this review provides insight into the profound neural effects of advanced meditation and proposes a result-driven unifying model (TRoM) aimed at identifying the inextricably tied objective (neural) and subjective (experiential) effects of meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Clinton Cooper
- Integrated Program of Neuroscience, Room 302, Irving Ludmer Building, 1033 Pine Avenue W., McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Bianca Ventura
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China
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11
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Alaerts K, Bernaerts S, Wenderoth N. Effects of single- and multiple-dose oxytocin treatment on amygdala low-frequency BOLD fluctuations and BOLD spectral dynamics in autism. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:393. [PMID: 36127337 PMCID: PMC9489696 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02158-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior neuroimaging clinical trials investigating the neural effects of intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin demonstrated a key role of the amygdala in oxytocin's neuromodulatory effects. These studies mostly demonstrated the acute effects of single-dose administrations, examining task-dependent effects of oxytocin on brain activity elicited during explicit experimental tasks or stimuli presentations. The increased consideration of oxytocin as a potential ameliorating treatment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires a better understanding of how multiple-dose oxytocin administration affects intrinsic, task-free, amygdala function. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with between-subject design, 38 adult men with ASD underwent resting-state fMRI scanning before and after oxytocin or placebo treatment. Effects were assessed either after a single-dose administration, consisting of 24 international units, or after multiple-dose treatment, consisting of 4 weeks of once-daily nasal spray administrations. Compared to placebo, oxytocin induced a decrease in intrinsic resting-state BOLD signal amplitudes of the bilateral amygdala (fractional amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations) and modulated cross-frequency interactions between adjacent BOLD frequency components. The right amygdala showed a pattern of reduced cross-frequency harmonicity, while the left amygdala showed a relative increase in harmonic cross-frequency interactions after oxytocin treatment. Notably, the direction and magnitude of BOLD spectral changes induced after a single-dose were qualitatively similar to treatment effects induced after multiple-dose treatment. Furthermore, the identified spectral changes in amygdalar BOLD amplitude and cross-frequency harmonicity were associated with improved feelings of tension, reflecting oxytocin's anxiolytic, stress-reducing neuromodulatory role. The observed effects of oxytocin on amygdalar BOLD spectral characteristics and associated behaviors contribute to a deeper mechanistic understanding of the intrinsic, task-free neuromodulatory dynamics that underlie single- and multiple-dose oxytocin treatment in ASD. European Clinical Trial Registry (Eudract 2014-000586-45).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Alaerts
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, Neuromodulation Laboratory, Neurorehabilitation Research Group, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Sylvie Bernaerts
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, Neuromodulation Laboratory, Neurorehabilitation Research Group, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicole Wenderoth
- grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Neural Control of Movement Lab, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Zhao C, Fukuda K, Woodman GF. Cross-frequency coupling of frontal theta and posterior alpha is unrelated to the fidelity of visual long-term memory encoding. VISUAL COGNITION 2022; 30:379-392. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2022.2084480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chong Zhao
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Keisuke Fukuda
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Geoffrey F. Woodman
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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13
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Fucci E, Poublan-Couzardot A, Abdoun O, Lutz A. No effect of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on EEG auditory mismatch negativity in expert and novice practitioners. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 176:62-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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14
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Young A, Hunt T, Ericson M. The Slowest Shared Resonance: A Review of Electromagnetic Field Oscillations Between Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:796455. [PMID: 35250508 PMCID: PMC8888685 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.796455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Electromagnetic field oscillations produced by the brain are increasingly being viewed as causal drivers of consciousness. Recent research has highlighted the importance of the body's various endogenous rhythms in organizing these brain-generated fields through various types of entrainment. We expand this approach by examining evidence of extracerebral shared oscillations between the brain and other parts of the body, in both humans and animals. We then examine the degree to which these data support one of General Resonance Theory's (GRT) principles: the Slowest Shared Resonance (SSR) principle, which states that the combination of micro- to macro-consciousness in coupled field systems is a function of the slowest common denominator frequency or resonance. This principle may be utilized to develop a spatiotemporal hierarchy of brain-body shared resonance systems. It is predicted that a system's SSR decreases with distance between the brain and various resonating structures in the body. The various resonance relationships examined, including between the brain and gastric neurons, brain and sensory organs, and brain and spinal cord, generally match the predicted SSR relationships, empirically supporting this principle of GRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asa Young
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Tam Hunt
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Marissa Ericson
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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15
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Alaerts K, Taillieu A, Prinsen J, Daniels N. Tracking transient changes in the intrinsic neural frequency architecture: Oxytocin facilitates non-harmonic relationships between alpha and theta rhythms in the resting brain. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 133:105397. [PMID: 34481326 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Shifts in the peak frequencies of oscillatory neural rhythms have been put forward as a principal mechanism by which cross-frequency coupling and decoupling is implemented in the brain. This notion is based on the mathematical reality that neural oscillations can only fully synchronize when their peak frequencies form harmonic 2:1 relationships (e.g., f2=f1/2). Non-harmonic cross-frequency relationships, on the other hand (based on the irrational golden mean 1.618.:1), provide the highest physiologically possible desynchronized state (reducing the occurrence of spurious, noisy, background coupling), and are therefore anticipated to characterize the resting state of the brain, in which no selective information processing takes place. The present study sought to assess whether the transient occurrence of 1.6:1 non-harmonic and 2:1 harmonic relationships between peak frequencies in the alpha (8-14 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) bands - respectively facilitating states of decoupling or coupling between oscillatory rhythms - are impacted by the intranasal administration of a single-dose of oxytocin (OT) or placebo. To do so, continuous resting-state electroencephalography (5 min eyes open, 19 electrodes) was obtained from 96 healthy adult men before and after nasal spray administration. The transient formation of non-harmonic cross-frequency configurations between alpha and theta peak frequencies was significantly increased after OT nasal spray administration, indicating an effect of OT on reducing the intrinsic occurrence of spurious (noisy) background phase synchronizations during resting-state. As a group, the OT group also showed a significant parallel increase in high-frequency and decrease in low-frequency heart rate variability, confirming a homeostatic role of OT in balancing parasympathetic drive. Overall, non-harmonic cross-frequency configurations have been put forward to lay the ground for a healthy neural network allowing the opportunity for an efficient transition from resting state to activity. The observed effects of OT on cross-frequency dynamics are therefore interpreted to reflect a homeostatic role of OT in increasing the signal-to-noise properties of the intrinsic EEG neural frequency architecture, i.e., by precluding the occurrence of 'noisy', unwanted, spurious couplings among neural rhythms in the resting brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Alaerts
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Tervuursevest 101 box 1501, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Aymara Taillieu
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Tervuursevest 101 box 1501, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jellina Prinsen
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Tervuursevest 101 box 1501, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Tervuursevest 101 box 1501, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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The EEG spectral properties of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118669. [PMID: 34688899 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous literature suggests that individuals with meditation training become less distracted during meditation practice. In this study, we assess whether putative differences in the subjective experience of meditation between meditators and non-meditators are reflected in EEG spectral modulations. For this purpose, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) during rest and two breath focus meditations (with and without experience sampling) in a group of 29 adult participants with more than 3 years of meditation experience and a control group of 29 participants without any meditation experience. Experience sampling in one of the meditation conditions allowed us to disentangle periods of breath focus from mind wandering (i.e. moments of distraction driven by task-irrelevant thoughts) during meditation practice. Overall, meditators reported a greater level of focus and reduced mind wandering during meditation practice than controls. In line with these reports, EEG spectral modulations associated with meditation and mind wandering also differed significantly between meditators and controls. While meditators (but not controls) showed a significant decrease in individual alpha frequency / amplitude and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation relative to rest, controls (but not meditators) showed a relative increase in individual alpha amplitude during mind wandering relative to breath focus periods. Together, our results show that the subjective experience of meditation and mind wandering differs between meditators and novices and that this is reflected in oscillatory and non-oscillatory properties of EEG.
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Safron A. The Radically Embodied Conscious Cybernetic Bayesian Brain: From Free Energy to Free Will and Back Again. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 23:783. [PMID: 34202965 PMCID: PMC8234656 DOI: 10.3390/e23060783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Drawing from both enactivist and cognitivist perspectives on mind, I propose that explaining teleological phenomena may require reappraising both "Cartesian theaters" and mental homunculi in terms of embodied self-models (ESMs), understood as body maps with agentic properties, functioning as predictive-memory systems and cybernetic controllers. Quasi-homuncular ESMs are suggested to constitute a major organizing principle for neural architectures due to their initial and ongoing significance for solutions to inference problems in cognitive (and affective) development. Embodied experiences provide foundational lessons in learning curriculums in which agents explore increasingly challenging problem spaces, so answering an unresolved question in Bayesian cognitive science: what are biologically plausible mechanisms for equipping learners with sufficiently powerful inductive biases to adequately constrain inference spaces? Drawing on models from neurophysiology, psychology, and developmental robotics, I describe how embodiment provides fundamental sources of empirical priors (as reliably learnable posterior expectations). If ESMs play this kind of foundational role in cognitive development, then bidirectional linkages will be found between all sensory modalities and frontal-parietal control hierarchies, so infusing all senses with somatic-motoric properties, thereby structuring all perception by relevant affordances, so solving frame problems for embodied agents. Drawing upon the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference framework, I describe a particular mechanism for intentional action selection via consciously imagined (and explicitly represented) goal realization, where contrasts between desired and present states influence ongoing policy selection via predictive coding mechanisms and backward-chained imaginings (as self-realizing predictions). This embodied developmental legacy suggests a mechanism by which imaginings can be intentionally shaped by (internalized) partially-expressed motor acts, so providing means of agentic control for attention, working memory, imagination, and behavior. I further describe the nature(s) of mental causation and self-control, and also provide an account of readiness potentials in Libet paradigms wherein conscious intentions shape causal streams leading to enaction. Finally, I provide neurophenomenological handlings of prototypical qualia including pleasure, pain, and desire in terms of self-annihilating free energy gradients via quasi-synesthetic interoceptive active inference. In brief, this manuscript is intended to illustrate how radically embodied minds may create foundations for intelligence (as capacity for learning and inference), consciousness (as somatically-grounded self-world modeling), and will (as deployment of predictive models for enacting valued goals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Safron
- Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA;
- Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Jiang CG, Wang J, Liu XH, Xue YL, Zhou ZH. The Neural Correlates of Effortful Cognitive Processing Deficits in Schizophrenia: An ERP Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:664008. [PMID: 34122029 PMCID: PMC8193231 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.664008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Individuals' information processing includes automatic and effortful processes and the latter require sustained concentration or attention and larger amounts of cognitive "capacity." Event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect all neural activities that are related to a certain stimulus. Investigating ERP characteristics of effortful cognitive processing in people with schizophrenia would be helpful in further understanding the neural mechanism of schizophrenia. Methods: Both schizophrenia patients (SCZ, n = 33) and health controls (HC, n = 33) completed ERP measurements during the performance of the basic facial emotion identification test (BFEIT) and the face-vignette task (FVT). Data of ERP components (N100, P200, and N250), BFEIT and FVT performances were analyzed. Results: Schizophrenia patients' accuracies of face emotion detection in the BFEIT and vignette emotion detection in the FVT were both significantly worse than the performance of the HC group. Repeated-measures ANOVAs performed on mean amplitudes and latencies revealed that the interaction effect for group × experiment × site (prefrontal, frontal, central, parietal, and occipital site) was significant for N250 amplitude. In FVT experiment, N250 amplitudes at prefrontal and frontal sites in schizophrenia group were larger than those of HC group; the maximum N250 amplitude was present at the prefrontal site in both the groups. For N250 latency, the interaction effect for group × experiment was significant; N250 latencies in the schizophrenia group were longer than those of the HC group. Conclusion: Schizophrenia patients present effortful cognitive processing dysfunctions which reflect in abnormal ERP components, especially N250 at prefrontal cortex and frontal cortex sites. These findings have important implications for further clarifying the neural mechanism of effortful cognitive processing deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Guang Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yan-Ling Xue
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Zhen-He Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
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Dobrakowski P, Blaszkiewicz M, Skalski S. Changes in the Electrical Activity of the Brain in the Alpha and Theta Bands during Prayer and Meditation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17249567. [PMID: 33371283 PMCID: PMC7766487 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Focused attention meditation (FAM) is a category of meditation based on an EEG pattern, which helps the wandering mind to focus on a particular object. It seems that prayer may, in certain respects, be similar to FAM. It is believed that emotional experience correlates mainly with theta, but also with selective alpha, with internalized attention correlating mainly with the synchronous activity of theta and alpha. The vast majority of studies indicate a possible impact of transcendence in meditation on the alpha wave in EEG. No such reports are available for prayer. Seventeen women and nineteen men aged 27–64 years with at least five years of intensive meditation/prayer experience were recruited to participate in the study. We identified the two largest groups which remained in the meditation trend originating from the Buddhist system (14 people) (Buddhist meditators) and in the Christian-based faith (15 people) (Christian meditators). EEG signal was recorded with open eyes, closed eyes, during meditation/prayer, and relaxation. After the EEG recording, an examination was conducted using the Scale of Spiritual Transcendence. Buddhist meditators exhibited a statistically significantly higher theta amplitude at Cz during meditation compared to relaxation. Meanwhile, spiritual openness favored a higher theta amplitude at Pz during relaxation. Our study did not reveal statistically significant differences in frontal areas with regard to alpha and theta, which was often indicated in previous studies. It seems necessary to analyze more closely the midline activity in terms of dispersed neural activity integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Dobrakowski
- Institute of Psychology, Humanitas University, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland;
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Sebastian Skalski
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-378 Warsaw, Poland;
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Rodriguez-Larios J, Alaerts K. EEG alpha-theta dynamics during mind wandering in the context of breath focus meditation: An experience sampling approach with novice meditation practitioners. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 53:1855-1868. [PMID: 33289167 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Meditation practice entails moments of distraction dominated by self-generated thoughts (i.e. mind wandering). Initial studies assessing the neural correlates of mind wandering in the context of meditation practice have identified an important role of theta (4-8 Hz) and alpha (8-14 Hz) neural oscillations. In this study, we use a probe-caught experience sampling paradigm to assess spectral changes in the theta-alpha frequency range during mind wandering in the context of breath focus meditation. Electroencephalography (EEG) was measured in 25 novice meditation practitioners during a breath focus task in which they were repeatedly probed to report whether they were focusing on their breath or thinking about something else. Mind wandering episodes were associated with an increase in the amplitude and a decrease in the frequency of theta (4-8 Hz) oscillations. Conversely, alpha oscillations (8-14 Hz) were shown to decrease in amplitude and increase in frequency during mind wandering relative to breath focus. In addition, mind wandering episodes were shown to be accompanied by increased harmonicity and phase synchrony between alpha and theta rhythms. Because similar spectral changes in the theta-alpha frequency range have been reported during controlled cognitive processes involving memory and executive control, we speculate that mind wandering and controlled processes could share some neurocognitive mechanisms. From a translational perspective, this study indicates that oscillatory activity in the theta-alpha frequency range could form adequate parameters for developing EEG-neurofeedback protocols aimed at facilitating the detection of mind wandering during meditation practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Rodriguez-Larios
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kaat Alaerts
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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