Frontal midline theta (FMθ) brain activity may index the mental control needed to maintain a meditative state, while alpha activity relates to the preparation required to achieve it. Without sufficient mental preparation, achieving a meditative state is difficult. Evidence from human and animal studies suggests that mindfulness meditation induces white matter plasticity by increasing FMθ activity, offering insights into how to effectively enhance brain plasticity through meditation.
After five hours of meditation training, compared with the same amount of relaxation, participants showed greater brain activity in the right cingulate gyrus, insula, putamen, inferior frontal gyrus, and bilateral middle frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal gyrus when presented with a solution to a problem they had failed to solve. The authors speculate that these regions may support detecting conflict, breaking mental set, restructuring problem representation, error detection, and the 'Aha' feeling of insight.