Focused-attention meditation on the breath reorganizes large-scale brain dynamics by reducing activity in neural networks linked to self-referential and memory-based processing while increasing activity in networks supporting attentional stability and internal monitoring. In 22 experienced practitioners, high-density EEG microstate analysis identified five canonical brain states. Meditation robustly reduced Microstate C, generated in medial and lateral temporal regions including the hippocampus, and increased Microstates D and E, generated in posterior midline regions and frontoparietal networks respectively. These changes suggest that focused-attention meditation downregulates self-referential processing and enhances neural states for attention and internal awareness.
Focused-attention meditation on the breath (Ānāpānasati) reorganizes large-scale brain dynamics by reducing a specific pattern of neural activity linked to self-referential and memory-based processing while increasing patterns associated with attentional stability and internal monitoring. In 22 experienced practitioners, EEG microstate analysis identified five canonical brain states (A-E). Meditation robustly reduced Microstate C—generated in temporal regions including the hippocampus—and increased Microstates D and E, which involve posterior midline and frontoparietal networks. These results indicate that focused attention shifts the temporal architecture of intrinsic brain activity away from default-mode-like processing toward states supporting sustained attention.