bioRxiv Preprint Server
October 23, 2020
Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Kaat Alaerts
7 citations
preprint
Mind wandering during breath focus meditation is linked to specific changes in brain waves. In 25 novice meditators, episodes of mind wandering showed increased amplitude and decreased frequency of theta oscillations (4-8 Hz), while alpha oscillations (8-14 Hz) decreased in amplitude and increased in frequency. Mind wandering also involved greater harmonicity and phase synchrony between theta and alpha rhythms. These spectral changes resemble those seen in controlled cognitive processes like memory and executive control, suggesting shared neurocognitive mechanisms. The findings indicate that theta-alpha oscillatory activity could serve as a basis for EEG-neurofeedback protocols to detect mind wandering during meditation.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 13, 2024
Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Kian Foong Wong, Julian Lim
2 citations
preprint
Mindfulness training did not reduce lapses of attention or their associated theta brain oscillations during meditation, but it did slow alpha oscillations in frontal electrodes, a pattern previously seen in highly experienced meditators and thought to reflect decreased arousal. The study recorded EEG from 41 participants before and after 8 weeks of mindfulness training or a waitlist, interrupting them during meditation to report focus and drowsiness. Self-reported lapses of attention were linked to increased theta oscillations that were slower and more widespread than those during focused states. These findings clarify the neural correlates of mindfulness meditation and may inform neuromodulation protocols.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
March 27, 2022
Yiqing Lu, Julio Rodriguez-Larios
2 citations
preprint
During breath focus meditation, novice practitioners often experience mind wandering. Previous EEG studies using linear metrics have produced inconsistent results. This study assessed whether nonlinear EEG signatures could characterize mind wandering. Twenty-five participants were interrupted during meditation to report whether they were focusing on the breath or thinking about something else. EEG complexity was measured using three algorithms: Higuchi’s fractal dimension, Lempel-Ziv complexity, and sample entropy. EEG complexity was generally reduced during mind wandering compared to breath focus states. The authors conclude that EEG complexity metrics can distinguish mind wandering from breath focus in novice practitioners and could be used in future EEG neurofeedback protocols.
medRxiv
July 8, 2023
Javier R. Soriano, Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Carolina Varon et al.
1 citation
preprint
Neural and cardiac rhythms interact differently during stress and meditation. In 21 young adults with no meditation experience, heart rate and alpha brainwave frequency both slowed more during breath focus meditation than during a stressful arithmetic task. The ratio between alpha and heart rate frequencies was smaller under stress, and a specific 8:1 cross-frequency relationship occurred more often, suggesting a mechanism for coupling neural and cardiac rhythms during mild cognitive stress. Changes in these cross-frequency relationships were mostly driven by shifts in heart rate. Integrating physiological markers and their interactions may better characterize stress responses and meditation, guiding biofeedback and neurofeedback interventions.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
July 6, 2021
Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Eduardo A. Bracho Montes de Oca, Kaat Alaerts
preprint
Experienced meditators report greater focus and less mind wandering during meditation than non-meditators, and these differences are reflected in their brain activity. In a study of 29 experienced meditators and 29 non-meditators, EEG recordings during rest and breath-focus meditations showed that meditators, but not controls, had a significant decrease in individual alpha frequency and amplitude and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation compared to rest. Controls, but not meditators, showed increased alpha amplitude during mind wandering relative to breath focus. The findings indicate that meditation training alters both the subjective experience and the oscillatory and non-oscillatory components of brain activity.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
February 26, 2026
Angqi Li, Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Mengsen Zhang et al.
preprint
Two types of mantra meditation produce distinct brain activity patterns. Novice practitioners were randomly assigned to chant either the Hare Krishna (HK) or Sa-Ta-Na-Ma (SA) mantra. EEG measurements showed that HK meditation led to widespread decreases in alpha power and increases in alpha frequency during and after practice, suggesting a more activating, attentionally focused state. In contrast, SA meditation produced localized alpha power reduction and, after training, a significant decrease in alpha frequency, indicating a more relaxed state. Both groups reported reduced stress. These results challenge the idea that all mantra meditation is the same and underscore the need to differentiate practices for targeted mental health applications.
Current Research in Neurobiology
January 1, 2022
Yiqing Lu, Julio Rodriguez-Larios
EEG complexity is generally reduced during mind wandering compared to breath focus states in novice meditation practitioners. The study compared EEG signal complexity during mind wandering and breath focus using three algorithms: Higuchi's fractal dimension, Lempel-Ziv complexity, and Sample entropy. Twenty-five participants were iteratively interrupted during breath focus meditation to report whether they were focusing on the breath or thinking about something else. The authors conclude that EEG complexity metrics can distinguish mind wandering from breath focus states and could be used in future EEG neurofeedback protocols to facilitate meditation practice.
European Journal of Neuroscience
March 1, 2021
Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Kaat Alaerts
During breath focus meditation, mind wandering—moments when attention drifts to self-generated thoughts—is accompanied by distinct changes in brain oscillations. In novice meditators, mind wandering increased the amplitude and decreased the frequency of theta waves (4–8 Hz), while alpha waves (8–14 Hz) decreased in amplitude and increased in frequency. Additionally, theta and alpha rhythms became more harmonically linked and phase-synchronized during mind wandering. These spectral changes resemble those seen in controlled cognitive processes involving memory and executive control, suggesting shared neurocognitive mechanisms. The findings indicate that theta-alpha oscillatory activity could serve as parameters for EEG-neurofeedback protocols designed to help meditators detect mind wandering.
Pankaj Pandey, Julio Rodriguez-Larios, Krishna Prasad Miyapuram et al.
Machine learning models can detect moments of distraction during meditation by analyzing EEG signals. Using data from 24 novice meditators performing breath focus meditation, researchers extracted twelve linear and non-linear EEG features and tested ten supervised classifiers. Linear features achieved up to 86% accuracy in distinguishing awake from sleepy states, while non-linear features reached nearly 78% accuracy in distinguishing awake from mind-wandering states. Unsupervised t-SNE visualization confirmed distinct clusters for each condition. These findings support the development of mobile EEG neurofeedback protocols that alert meditators when they become distracted.
Javier R. Soriano, Angeliki-Ilektra Karaiskou, Julio Rodriguez-Larios et al.
preprint
Expert meditators show a shift from reactive to proactive control over the connection between brain and body compared to novices. During breath-focused meditation, both groups slowed their breathing, but experts had the lowest rates and higher parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) tone. Information-flow analysis showed that novices' heart and breathing signals more strongly influenced brain alpha activity, whereas experts showed stronger top-down control from the brain to breathing, especially in frontal brain regions. Experts also showed a reduced ratio between alpha brain waves and heart rate during meditation. These results suggest that meditation training changes how the brain and body interact, consistent with predictive processing theories of interoception.