TMS-EEG Shows Mindfulness Meditation Is Associated With a Different Excitation/Inhibition Balance in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
Mindfulness February 1, 2025 Gregory Humble, Harry Geddes, Oliver Baell et al. 4 citations
Experienced mindfulness meditators show altered brain reactivity to magnetic stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to non-meditators. In a sample of 15 meditators and 19 matched controls, transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography revealed that meditators had larger P60/N100 ratios in response to both left and right prefrontal stimulation, suggesting differences in inhibitory activity. The spatial distribution of neural activity around 300 milliseconds after stimulation also differed between groups, potentially reflecting altered connectivity between cortical and subcortical regions. These findings indicate that long-term mindfulness practice is associated with measurable neurophysiological changes in brain regions supporting attention and cognitive control.