A self-referential default brain state: patterns of coherence, power, and eLORETA sources during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice.
Cognitive processing February 1, 2010 Fred Travis, David A F Haaga, John Hagelin et al.
A 10-week random assignment study of 38 college students (average age 23.7 years) compared EEG brainwave patterns during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice. During TM, compared to rest, there was higher alpha1 frontal log-power and lower beta1 and gamma frontal and parietal log-power; higher frontal and parietal alpha1 interhemispheric coherence and higher frontal and frontal-central beta2 intrahemispheric coherence. Sources of alpha1 activity were found in midline cortical regions overlapping the default mode network (DMN). Greater activation in DMN areas during TM suggests meditation may produce a foundational or 'ground' state of cerebral functioning that underlies both rest and focused cognition.