Busra T. Susam

2 papers in the library · publishing 2022-2026

Papers

Neural Effects of Meditation Following a Randomized Controlled Trial of the Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE).

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society January 1, 2026 Busra T. Susam, Nathan T Riek, Richard T Gall et al.

Mindfulness training may help autistic individuals regulate emotions by altering brain activity patterns. In a randomized controlled trial, 39 autistic adults completed an affective attention task while wearing an EEG headset before and after either the Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) program or an active control therapy. Machine learning classifiers distinguished the EASE group from the control group with 88% to 92% accuracy based on post-training EEG features. Changes in theta and beta brainwave power, particularly in response to rewarding versus unfavorable feedback, differed significantly between groups. These neural changes were most pronounced in autistic individuals who showed clinical improvement from the intervention, suggesting mindfulness-based programs can modulate brain systems supporting adaptive emotional responses.

DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2026.3698744 Full text

Quantitative EEG Changes in Youth With ASD Following Brief Mindfulness Meditation Exercise

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering August 17, 2022 Busra T. Susam, N. Riek, Kelly B. Beck et al.

A machine learning classifier applied to EEG data from 35 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder distinguished resting brain states before and after a brief mindfulness meditation exercise with 80.76% accuracy. Frontal and temporal brain channels, along with beta-band total power, total power across 4–30 Hz, and relative alpha-band power, were the most informative features. The separation was confirmed to result from the mindfulness practice rather than from temporal drift. The findings demonstrate that EEG combined with machine learning can objectively measure neural changes following mindfulness meditation in this population, offering a way to assess emotion-regulation improvements without relying solely on self-report.

DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3199151 Full text Medicine Psychology