Eliciting brain waves of people with cognitive impairment during meditation exercises using portable electroencephalography in a smart-home environment: a pilot study
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience May 30, 2023 Ioulietta Lazarou, V. Oikonomou, Lampros Mpaltadoros et al.
Meditation practices, specifically Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and a culturally adapted Kirtan Kriya meditation, produce distinct changes in brain wave patterns that differ across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum. In healthy older adults, theta brain waves at four electrode sites (TP9, TP10, AF7, AF8) were statistically significantly reduced during Kirtan Kriya meditation compared to a resting state. The study involved 40 participants: 13 healthy controls, 14 with subjective cognitive decline, and 13 with mild cognitive impairment. Using a portable Muse EEG headband in a smart-home environment, the findings suggest that brain wave parameters can help discriminate early cognitive decline without medical support.