Human Brain Mapping
August 27, 2001
Edi Frei, Alex Gamma, Roberto D Pascual-Marqui et al.
175 citations
A single dose of MDMA (1.7 mg/kg) in 16 healthy, MDMA-naïve volunteers produced widespread decreases in slow and medium frequency brain activity and increases in fast frequency activity in the anterior temporal and posterior orbital cortex, as measured by scalp EEG and low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). These changes were accompanied by heightened mood, emotional arousal, and increased extraversion. The EEG pattern suggests that serotonin, noradrenaline, and, to a lesser degree, dopamine contribute to MDMA's effects on brain activity and possibly mood and behavior, indicating modulation of limbic orbitofrontal and anterotemporal structures involved in emotional processes.
Neuroreport
January 1, 2000
Alex Gamma, Edi Frei, Dietrich Lehmann et al.
81 citations
People who regularly use Ecstasy show altered brain activity patterns, including increased theta, alpha, and beta power across the scalp, particularly with eyes open, as measured by EEG and brain tomography. They also report higher levels of state depressiveness, emotional excitability, and a trend toward increased state anxiety compared to non-users. These differences could stem from regular Ecstasy or other illicit drug use, or may have existed before drug use began.
Mindfulness
July 1, 2023
Kanishka Sharma, Peter Achermann, Bhawna Panwar et al.
12 citations
During Brahma Kumaris Rajyoga meditation—a practice done with open eyes—long-term meditators show reduced delta and increased low alpha brain activity compared to resting. Source localization of EEG from 52 experienced meditators reveals that the meditation alters activation in the central executive, mirroring, task-positive, and task-negative networks. These changes correspond to attention modulation, self-related processing, visual imagery, and an extra-corporeal sense of being a soul in communion with a Supreme Soul. The findings suggest that seed-stage meditation involves distinct cognitive and affective processes, and future work should differentiate its stages.
Cognitive processing
February 1, 2015
Pascal L Faber, Dietrich Lehmann, Lorena R R Gianotti et al.
During Zazen meditation, experienced practitioners show increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 brain wave activity in a right-lateralized cluster spanning prefrontal areas, insula, somatosensory, motor, and temporal cortices compared to resting without a task. Decreased alpha and beta-2 activity occurs in the left angular gyrus, and decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in a large bilateral posterior cluster including visual cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and parietal cortex. These patterns involve parts of the default mode network and suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing alongside reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference, supporting a more detached moment-to-moment awareness during Zazen.
Brain Topography
November 1, 2009
Shisei Tei, Pascal L Faber, Dietrich Lehmann et al.
Long-term meditation practice may change the brain in ways that persist even when not meditating. Comparing Qigong meditators with non-meditators using EEG during rest, the meditators showed reduced activity in brain regions involved in judging or appraising, and increased activity in areas that process sensory information from inside and outside the body. These differences in delta brain waves suggest that the subjective experiences of greater awareness and detachment reported by experienced meditators are supported by lasting neuroplastic changes that carry over into everyday life.