Scientific Reports
January 1, 2020
Juliana Yordanova, Vasil Kolev, Federica Mauro et al.
42 citations
Different meditation practices—focused attention, open monitoring, and loving kindness—share a common brain connectivity pattern while also showing distinct neural signatures. Using a refined measure of neural coupling (imaginary part of EEG coherence) in highly experienced meditators, the study found that all three types increased connectivity in broadly distributed delta networks, left-hemispheric theta networks with a posterior focus, and right-hemispheric alpha networks with a parieto-occipital focus. Each meditation state also recruited left- or right-lateralized beta networks in unique ways. These findings suggest that frequency-specific inter-hemispheric asymmetry is a key feature of meditation, with lateralized fast-frequency networks supporting the distinct mental processes of each practice.
Mindfulness
January 28, 2022
Valentina Nicolardi, Luca Simione, Domenico Scaringi et al.
28 citations
Pain arises from both bodily and mental factors, which can be regulated by meditation. Long-term meditators had higher pain thresholds than short-term meditators. In short-term meditators, focused attention and open monitoring meditation reduced pain, while all three meditation types (including loving kindness) reduced aversion and identification with pain. In long-term meditators, only loving kindness meditation reduced pain, and identification was reduced by all three forms, but aversion was unaffected. Pain was predicted to increase with meditation expertise, aversion, and identification. Causal analysis showed that aversion and pain, and aversion and identification, influenced each other, while identification causally influenced pain. The findings support the Buddhist model of the "second arrow of pain," where mental factors co-produce pain.
Scientific Reports
March 27, 2025
Juliana Yordanova, Valentina Nicolardi, Peter Malinowski et al.
4 citations
Long-term meditation practice is associated with a proactive top-down inhibition of brain regions that process the sensory aspects of pain, even when the meditator is not actively meditating. Experienced meditators, compared to novices, showed substantially suppressed temporal and spatial synchronization of pain-related brain oscillations (from theta-alpha to gamma frequencies) at somatosensory areas within 200 milliseconds after a painful stimulus. This suppression was predicted by increased pre-stimulus alpha activity in the same regions, indicating a preparatory, inhibitory state. The emotional and cognitive reappraisal of pain, reflected by the P3b brainwave component, was reduced but not eliminated, suggesting that experienced meditators can dissociate proactive inhibition of sensory processing from reactive emotional evaluation during pain control.
bioRxiv
July 4, 2025
Vasil Kolev, Kosio Beshkov, Peter Malinowski et al.
2 citations
preprint
Long-term meditators show distinct patterns of directed brain connectivity depending on the type of meditation they practice. Using EEG and Granger causality analysis, the study found that focused attention meditation produces different neural communication pathways compared to open monitoring and loving-kindness meditation. Each meditation style engages unique brain networks, suggesting that different meditative practices shape brain connectivity in specific ways. These findings indicate that the brain's neural pathways adapt to the particular cognitive demands of each meditation technique.
bioRxiv
July 7, 2025
Vasil Kolev, Kosio Beshkov, Peter Malinowski et al.
1 citation
preprint
Long-term meditation increases directed information flow from posterior to frontal brain regions and between the two frontal hemispheres. Experienced meditators (22 people with long-term practice) showed stronger directional connectivity than short-term meditators (17 people) during both rest and three meditation states. This enhanced connectivity involved theta, alpha, and beta brain waves, with alpha waves most prominent. The posterior-to-anterior direction suggests reorganization of cognitive control networks, supporting sustained attention, present-moment awareness, and reduced mental elaboration. The pattern persisted across all states, indicating lasting neuroplastic changes from extensive meditation practice.
Mindfulness
April 1, 2026
Vasil Kolev, Peter Malinowski, Antonino Raffone et al.
Different types of meditation alter cognitive and affective pain mechanisms in distinct ways depending on a person's meditation experience. In novice meditators, loving-kindness meditation (LKM) reduced the connectivity of a frontal brain network and decreased a specific electrical brain response (P3b), suggesting that a positive emotional state can suppress the distribution and appraisal of pain signals. In long-term meditators, focused attention and open monitoring meditations increased pre-stimulus alpha brain waves in sensory areas and modulated frontal brain synchronizations. Bottom-up sensory pain processing was not influenced by any meditation state. The findings indicate that meditation experience guides how attention and cognitive control networks engage during pain.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
January 1, 2026
Vasil Kolev, Kosio Beshkov, Peter Malinowski et al.
Spectral Granger causality analysis of EEG recordings from 22 long-term meditators revealed distinct directed connectivity patterns for three meditation styles compared to rest. Focused attention meditation reduced posterior-to-anterior influences in alpha and beta bands and decreased interhemispheric frontal connectivity, indicating attenuated bottom-up sensory processing. Open monitoring meditation increased left-to-right posterior connectivity, suggesting enhanced top-down modulation supporting expanded awareness. Loving kindness meditation showed interhemispheric symmetry, bidirectional posterior-anterior influences, and beta-band engagement, implying coactivation of systems supporting emotional balance, equanimity, and prosocial attitude.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
May 20, 2025
Vasil Kolev, Peter Malinowski, Antonino Raffone et al.
preprint
Different types of meditation alter how the brain processes pain, but the effects depend on the specific meditation technique. Focused attention meditation reduced pain intensity and unpleasantness by modulating activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula, while open monitoring meditation reduced pain unpleasantness without affecting intensity, engaging different neural pathways. Loving-kindness meditation increased pain unpleasantness and activated regions associated with emotion and reward. The findings suggest that meditation-induced pain relief is not a uniform phenomenon but varies by practice.
Scientific Reports
March 1, 2021
Juliana Yordanova, Vasil Kolev, Valentina Nicolardi et al.
Meditation practice engages cognitive control systems in the brain. Highly experienced meditators, compared to novices, showed strong theta synchronization of fronto-parietal and medial-frontal networks in left parietal regions across all meditation styles. Only lateralized beta connectivity in medial-frontal networks differed between meditation styles. Theta fronto-parietal connectivity depended non-linearly on expertise, with opposite patterns in left and right hemispheres. Inter-hemispheric fronto-parietal connectivity in faster frequency bands increased linearly with expertise. These results indicate that executive control systems maintain meditation states, and lateralized involvement of these networks may support both generic and style-specific states, with functional plasticity in executive control networks underpinning unique states in expert meditators.
Journal of Sleep Research
April 1, 2026
Severin Ableidinger, Luigi De Gennaro, Sérgio Mota-Rolim et al.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 30% of people frequently knew they were dreaming (lucid dreaming), and roughly half of those (17%) could influence their dreams (lucid dreaming with agency). Female gender and anxiety symptoms were linked to less ability to influence dreams, while dream recall, nightmares, insomnia, dream enactment behavior, sleep vocalization, short and long COVID, and PTSD were linked to more ability. Older age, dream recall, nightmares, and anxiety were linked to lucid dreaming without agency, while short sleep, being an evening type, and short COVID were linked to less of it. The different patterns suggest lucid dreaming with and without agency may be distinct sleep states, and this is the first study showing COVID-19 and long COVID are associated with lucid dreaming.
Journal of Sleep Research
October 1, 2024
Courtney J Bolstad, Brigitte Holzinger, Serena Scarpelli et al.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, suicidal ideation was 2% lower overall than before, while nightmare frequency increased by 4.50%. Data from 9328 individuals across 16 countries showed that suicidal ideation decreased significantly in Austria, Sweden, and Bulgaria but rose non-significantly in Italy and Portugal. Participants with long-COVID reported higher rates of suicidal ideation (21.10%) than those with short-COVID (12.40%), though ideation did not differ by COVID-19 history alone. Nightmare frequency was higher in those with prior COVID-19 (14.50% vs. 10.70%), during active infection (23.00% vs. 8.10%), and in long-COVID (18.00% vs. 8.50%). Frequent nightmares during the pandemic increased the odds of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.
Juliana Yordanova
Long-term meditation practice alters how the brain processes pain even when not meditating. Experienced meditators, compared to novices, showed suppressed neural activity in somatosensory regions within 200 milliseconds of a painful stimulus, indicating a proactive top-down inhibition of early sensory processing. This suppression was predicted by increased pre-stimulus alpha brain waves in the same areas. The emotional/cognitive appraisal of pain, reflected by the P3b brain response, was reduced but not eliminated, suggesting experienced meditators can dissociate proactive and reactive control processes during pain.