Annals of Neurosciences
July 1, 2024
Manorma Saini, Ankit Gurjar, Suriya Prakash Muthukrishnan et al.
13 citations
Both verbally chanting and listening to the mantra “OM” activated similar cortical areas in the brain, as measured by quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) in 20 adult male novices with no prior meditation experience. The activated regions correspond to nodes of the attentional, frontoparietal control, and default mode networks. Listening to “OM” additionally activated the orbital gyrus, rectal gyrus, and sub-callosal gyrus. The findings suggest that “OM” chanting may facilitate flexible switching between resting-state networks, potentially inducing a relaxed state and improving attention simultaneously.
Annals of Neurosciences
April 2, 2025
Mannu Brahmi, Dushyant Soni, Shreya Sarkar et al.
9 citations
A breath-awareness meditation intervention adapted from Ānāpānasati increased alpha brain oscillations in adolescent novice meditators, indicating relaxation. Beta power in occipital and midline default mode network regions during breath counting and focus stages was positively associated with breath count, suggesting enhanced visual and cognitive processing. Self-reported blissfulness during counting correlated with enhanced state mindfulness and showed a negative association with theory of mind. State mindfulness correlated with increased frontal alpha activity, while theory of mind negatively predicted frontal alpha power. Exploratory analysis indicated females showed greater frontal beta activity and state mindfulness. The findings suggest an inverse relationship between inward-focused mindfulness and outward-directed social cognitive states in adolescents.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 21, 2025
Mannu Brahmi, Dushyant Soni, Jyoti Kumar
9 citations
A three-stage breath meditation based on Ānāpānasati increased alpha power across all stages in novice meditators, indicating relaxation. Theta and delta power rose during breath counting and breath focus in the prefrontal cortex, suggesting enhanced working memory and focused attention. Gamma power in meditation-related brain regions and occipital beta oscillations correlated positively with breath counts, reflecting improved visual and attentional concentration. Lower pre-meditative arousal and smaller in-meditation cognitive workload were linked to fewer distractions and greater confidence accuracy during breath counting. The findings suggest breath counting can improve present-centric control and concentration.
Annals of Neurosciences
July 19, 2025
Nandini Sharma, Manju Agrawal, Rushi et al.
5 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) reduce emotional dysregulation and improve emotional regulation, coping skills, and neurological functioning in adolescents. Emotional dysregulation—frequent, intense emotions with poor coping—is a key concern during adolescence, linked to mental health challenges. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines found that MBIs, which cultivate nonjudgmental present-moment awareness, effectively enhance self-regulation of emotions and behavior. The findings suggest MBIs can serve as both a preventative and therapeutic strategy for adolescent mental health.
Annals of Neurosciences
September 8, 2025
Mannu Brahmi, Abira Sharma, Harshita Jain et al.
3 citations
In novice meditators, the personality trait Acting with Awareness was linked to less mind-wandering and greater theta brainwave activity during breath-focused meditation, suggesting improved attention. Discontinuity of Mind—a measure of fragmented thinking—correlated with higher alpha and beta brainwaves, indicating effortful mentation. Planning-related thinking was associated with early STEM proficiency and reduced delta and alpha power, implying unnecessary mental activity during meditation. Individuals with higher Stimulation values showed lower prefrontal alpha power, possibly reflecting heightened alertness. Extraversion and Emotional Stability also showed modest connections to state mindfulness. These findings suggest that pre-existing traits and academic background shape how beginners engage in meditation, though the predictive power was weak.
Annals of Neurosciences
February 28, 2025
Sushanta Kumar Mohanty, Amit Kumar Singh, Subarna Surajita Mohanty et al.
3 citations
College students who practiced the Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT) for one month showed improved cognitive performance and heart rate variability compared with those who rested supine. In a randomized controlled study of 50 experienced yoga practitioners aged 19–30, the MSRT group had significant changes in heart rate variability at rest, during a Stroop task, and afterward, along with better accuracy and faster reaction times. No significant changes occurred in the supine rest group. MSRT may help college students cope with stress and enhance cognitive and psychophysiological function.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 1, 2023
Sheetal J Gupta, Balaram Pradhan, Disha Bhanushali et al.
3 citations
Immediate ascent to high altitude impairs cognitive performance and mood, leading to depression, anxiety, and reduced sleep quality, general health, and happiness. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a cyclical breathing technique, has been shown to manage stress, depression, and anxiety, and improve sleep. This two-armed pre-post study examined psychological parameters and happiness in lowlanders at high altitude (Leh). The experimental group, with prior SKY meditation experience, completed a 4-day SKY-AMP protocol at high altitude; the control group had no yoga or meditation experience. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire showed a significant increase in the SKY group (P ≤ .001) but no significant change in the control group.
Annals of Neurosciences
April 2, 2025
Tintisha Basu, Pragyan Dangwal, Mahesh Deokar
1 citation
A study of 54 orphan adolescents in Pune, India, found that three months of Anapanasati meditation—a mindful breathing technique—was associated with increases in appraising others' emotions, emotional regulation, sharing feelings with peers, and a sense of a promising future. Content analysis of subjective experiences revealed nuanced changes hinting at enhanced self-awareness and regulation of negative emotions, while other emotional facets remained stable. The findings suggest meditation's transformative potential for emotional well-being in this population.
Annals of Neurosciences
July 7, 2026
Vikram Jain, Monika Pathania, Prasan Kumar Panda et al.
An exploratory three-arm randomized controlled trial found that both Yoga Nidra and Music Therapy, delivered online for 30 minutes daily over 30 days, significantly improved sleep quality, mental health, and well-being in 90 adults recently discharged after COVID-19 hospitalization, compared with standard care. Yoga Nidra showed greater improvements in overall well-being and global health, while Music Therapy demonstrated stronger effects on sleep quality. Large effect sizes were observed across outcomes. No adverse events were reported. The authors propose these low-cost therapies as valuable adjuncts to standard care for post-COVID psychological distress and sleep disturbances.
Annals of Neurosciences
April 18, 2026
T. S. Saranya, Sera Mary Soloman, Sandeep Kumar Gupta et al.
Young adults aged 18–30 with a history of trauma reported more frequent nightmares, poorer sleep quality, and greater cognitive difficulties—particularly memory lapses and concentration problems—than those without trauma. Regular nightmares were also linked to higher daytime impairment, suggesting that nocturnal distress contributes to reduced cognitive efficiency. The findings indicate that nightmares are not merely a symptom of trauma but also a factor in cognitive challenges, and that sleep-focused interventions may improve cognitive well-being in trauma-affected individuals.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 19, 2026
Gurpreet Verma, Vijendra Nath Pathak, Prabhjyot Kour et al.
A one-week meditation intervention reduced depression scores from an average of 54.36 to 28.10 and increased psychological well-being scores from 57.50 to 65.88 among active smokers. After the intervention, the meditation group had significantly lower depression and higher well-being scores compared to a control group that received no treatment. The findings suggest that a brief meditation programme can help reduce depressive symptoms and improve mental well-being in people who smoke daily.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 10, 2026
Tintisha Basu, Pragyan Dangwal, Mahesh Deodar et al.
A three-month program of Anapanasati meditation improved internal locus of control, psychological well-being, resilience, and altruism among orphan adolescents in Pune, India. The study included 108 adolescents aged 13–17, equally divided between orphans living in institutions and non-orphans, with equal numbers of males and females. Significant changes appeared from the second month onward in the experimental group compared to the control group. The authors suggest that this low-cost, culturally non-intensive meditation technique can be practically applied in schools, orphanages, and residential care facilities, especially in resource-constrained settings.
Annals of Neurosciences
July 19, 2025
Ritu Munjal, Tarun Varshney
Meditation and yoga practices are increasingly used to prevent ailments. This work examined how the high-pass filter (HPF) cutoff frequency affects single-trial classification accuracy for distinguishing meditative from non-meditative states using electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Two meditation types were studied: Vipassana and Himalayan Yoga. Inception Convolutional Gated Recurrent Neural Network (IC-RNN) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models were compared at various HPF settings. For Vipassana, the highest accuracy was 86.19% with IC-RNN and 99.45% with CNN at a 1 Hz filter. For Himalayan Yoga, the highest accuracy was 88.15% with IC-RNN and 100% with CNN at the same 1 Hz setting. The 1 Hz HPF consistently yielded strong results, suggesting guidelines for filter settings to improve model performance.
Annals of Neurosciences
June 29, 2026
Vandana Daulatabad, K Prafull, H Estelle et al.
A 12-week Transcendental Meditation intervention (20 minutes/day, 5 days/week) in 34 healthy adults aged 25–50 reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate with a small effect size. EEG analysis showed increased functional connectivity across fronto-central and occipital regions. Visual and auditory reaction times improved significantly, with the largest effect in auditory reaction time. The findings suggest TM enhances cardiovascular regulation, brain connectivity, and cognitive processing speed, reflecting improved neural efficiency and autonomic balance, and may serve as a simple, non-pharmacological approach for improving cognitive performance and well-being.
Annals of Neurosciences
May 31, 2026
Dwivedi Krishna, Avinash Chandra Pandey, Saurav Nilesh et al.
Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60%-70% of dementia cases, and current drugs offer limited relief. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that yoga, meditation, and related mind-body practices improved memory, attention, executive functions, mood, and quality of life in people with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, or subjective memory decline. Neurobiological benefits included preserved hippocampal volume, better functional connectivity, higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and lower neuroinflammation markers. The authors conclude these interventions show promise as complementary approaches but note that small samples and short durations limit the evidence, calling for larger long-term trials.
Annals of Neurosciences
March 1, 2026
Km Megha, Ankita Mishra, Raksha Sharma et al.
Rhythmic sound meditation (RSM) reduces EEG power across all frequency bands—delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma—particularly in prefrontal and frontocentral brain regions, compared to a resting state. Subjective alertness increased after RSM, with 93.3% of participants reporting alertness, versus 73.3% after resting. The findings suggest that RSM induces distinct neurophysiological changes characterized by widespread EEG power suppression in frontal areas and heightened subjective alertness, supporting its potential for promoting altered states of consciousness.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 23, 2026
Tony Bayan, Daisy Das, Nabamita Deb
A deep hybrid model combining convolutional neural networks, bidirectional long short-term memory networks, and attention mechanisms achieved 99.46% accuracy in classifying EEG recordings from experienced meditation practitioners into resting or mantra-listening brain states. Wavelet-based time-frequency features were extracted from EEG data recorded before and during auditory mantra stimulation. The model outperformed simpler architectures including CNN alone (76.92%), LSTM alone (75.30%), CNN+LSTM (84.62%), and CNN+BiLSTM (88.65%). Receiver operating characteristic analysis confirmed high discriminative capability with an AUC near 1.0. The approach demonstrates that combining convolutional, recurrent, and attention methods substantially improves spatial-temporal feature learning for distinguishing brain states.
Annals of Neurosciences
October 17, 2025
Daisy Das, Nabamita Deb, Rita Rani Talukdar et al.
Short audio interventions can induce relaxation in pregnant women, as measured by EEG brain activity. A new classification model combining EEG data with an artificial neural network achieved 100% accuracy in identifying meditative states during mantra meditation, particularly using signals from the frontal midline, right frontal lobe, and parietal lobe. The study emphasizes that EEG readings during meditation are more significant than those after meditation, and it offers insights into trimester-specific responses to brief audio stimuli, suggesting such interventions may be useful for stress reduction in prenatal care.
Annals of Neurosciences
January 1, 2019
B. Sivaramappa, Sudheer Deshpande, P. V. G. Kumar et al.
After six months of daily one-hour Anapanasati meditation sessions under expert supervision, people with moderate anxiety showed a significant reduction in anxiety as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), whereas a control group that did not meditate showed no significant change.
Annals of Neurosciences
July 1, 2012
Moushumi Purkayastha, Kanchan Kumar Mukherjee
Three patients who survived severe head injuries, critical illness, coma, or a suicidal attempt reported near-death experiences (NDEs), including out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Initially they remembered events from that time, but later could not recall them exactly. The authors discuss theories for NDE components and review literature, noting that whether these experiences are hallucinations or evidence of an afterlife remains debatable until more data are available.