Six days of focused-attention meditation training in novices reduces functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), specifically between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex in theta and alpha bands, as measured by electroencephalography. This change correlates with increased state-level mindfulness scores. The findings indicate that even brief meditation practice can modify DMN activity in beginners.
A brief online mindfulness meditation program can alter heart rate variability during a stress-to-meditation sequence. Healthy adults without meditation experience were randomly assigned to either a four-week online mindfulness program or an active health-management control group. Both groups reported reduced negative emotions, but only the mindfulness group showed increased observing skills and changes in heart rate variability: lower LF/HF ratio and higher normalized high-frequency power after training, which differed from the control group. Within the mindfulness group, improved non-reactivity was linked to higher high-frequency power during post-stress meditation. These results suggest that even short online mindfulness training can modulate autonomic regulation.