Meditation-Induced States, Vagal Tone, and Breathing Activity Are Related to Changes in Auditory Temporal Integration
Behavioral Sciences May 16, 2019 Damisela Linares Gutierrez, Sebastian L. Kübel, Anne Giersch et al.
Meditation alters how the brain integrates auditory beats over time, and these changes are linked to heart and breathing activity. In a pre-post longitudinal study, mindfulness meditators either meditated or listened to a story while heart and breathing were recorded. After meditation, the duration of temporal integration increased for the slowest metronome frequency (3-second intervals). Higher heart-rate variability (RMSSD) during meditation predicted longer integration at the fastest frequency (0.33-second intervals), while higher breathing rate predicted greater integration at 1-second intervals. The findings support the idea that meditation-induced physiological changes shape the temporal integration of sensory events, illustrating the embodiment of mental functioning.