Coherence-based interhemispheric EEG functional connectivity changes in distinct frequency bands during eyes open meditation
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) February 6, 2023 G Pradeep Kumar, Kanishka Sharma, A Adarsh et al. preprint
Long-term Brahmakumaris Rajyoga meditators practicing with open eyes show distinct changes in brain functional connectivity compared to controls listening to music. Using two measures—magnitude squared coherence (MSC) and imaginary part of coherency (ICoh)—the study finds that meditators have higher baseline MSC in frontocentral and centroparietal regions and higher |ICoh| globally in higher beta and gamma bands. During meditation, MSC increases in higher theta and alpha bands in frontal and parietal regions, while |ICoh| decreases across most regions and bands except alpha. Controls show no such changes during music. Increased frontal MSC and decreased |ICoh| suggest enhanced self-awareness; lower occipital MSC in meditators at baseline implies altered visual processing from long-term open-eye practice.