Background Heartfulness meditation (HM) is a heart-based meditation practice that features a unique yogic transmission that involves transfer of subtle energy from a certified, experienced meditator to an aspirant. Purpose This study was conducted on HM practice to assess the state (momentary changes during meditation result in temporary physiological and neurological shifts) and trait...
Background Underprivileged children from low socio-economic backgrounds lack access to the resources that promote cognitive, emotional and social development. Cognitive stimulation and psychological support enhance the neurobehavioural responses in underprivileged children. Interventions like Mindfulness-based Dance Movement Therapy (MBDMT) are inter-modal psychotherapy, enhancing mind and body...
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disturbances, particularly among recently hospitalised patients. Non-pharmacological interventions such as Yoga Nidra and Music Therapy offer cost-effective and accessible alternatives for improving psychological well-being and...
Transcendental meditation (TM) is broadly trained mind-body intervention for its prospective benefits on physical and mental health. However, evidence exploring its effects on brain connectivity and cognitive performance remains inadequate. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of TM on EEG functional connectivity and audiovisual reaction time in healthy adults. This prospective single...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, contributing to nearly 60%-70% of dementia cases. Current pharmacological treatments provide limited symptomatic relief and minimal efficacy in altering disease progression, highlighting the need for complementary interventions. Mind-body practices such as yoga and meditation are increasingly explored for preserving cognitive...
Annals of NeurosciencesApril 18, 2026T. S. Saranya, Sera Mary Soloman, Sandeep Kumar Gupta et al.
Background: Trauma has a profound impact on both psychological and physiological functioning, with sleep disturbances-particularly nightmares-emerging as one of the most commonly reported symptoms. These sleep disruptions often co-occur with cognitive difficulties, affecting memory and attention. Purpose: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between trauma history, nightmare...
Annals of NeurosciencesMarch 23, 2026Hemant Kashyap, Lalhmingmawii Khiangte, Nandan Kumar Thakur et al.
Background: Neuropsychological functioning, metacognitive awareness and mindfulness are central to self-regulatory processes operating across cognitive and affective domains. Although global research on these constructs has increased, integrated evidence from non-Western contexts, particularly India, remains limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare...
Meditation is known to modulate neural activity and enhance cognitive and emotional well-being. While previous studies have largely reported increases in alpha and theta activity, the neurophysiological effects of structured sound-based meditation practices remain underexplored. This study investigated the neurophysiological and subjective effects of rhythmic sound meditation (RSM) compared to...
Background: Holistic education frameworks such as those conceptualising self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART) and the LIBRE/EMC2 model, prioritise the integration of social-emotional-cognitive-spiritual transdisciplinary factors-a focus perennially emphasised in Indian spiritual-philosophical wisdom. Purpose: The study examines how gender and academic pathways relate...
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a popular non-invasive method for studying brain dynamics because of its excellent temporal resolution. However, the non-stationarity, intersubject variability and class imbalance of EEG data, make it difficult to automatically discriminate between brain states that correspond to various cognitive or sensory circumstances. With the use of a deep hybrid...
Annals of NeurosciencesJanuary 19, 2026Gurpreet Verma, Vijendra Nath Pathak, Prabhjyot Kour et al.
Depression and active smoking are very common situations among the population, which also reduces the positive mental well-being of a person. Smoking is a global issue, and depression and low mental well-being interfere with the daily lives of individuals. This study aimed to investigate the effect of meditation on an active smoker in terms of depression and psychological well-being (PWB) as...
Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) studies consistently associate alpha-band oscillations with relaxation, internalized attention, and sensory disengagement during meditation. However, limited evidence exists on how Heartfulness Meditation (HM), particularly its unique transmission phases, modulates alpha activity across different experience levels. Purpose: This study investigated...
Orphan adolescents face multiple vulnerabilities, including a lack of parental guidance, poor educational opportunities, socio-economic disadvantages and peer pressure, making them prone to unhealthy behaviours, risk-taking, anxiety and depression. Despite these challenges, they often exhibit resilience, though forming stable social bonds remains difficult. The use of Anapanasati meditation in...
Stress is a major problem in today's culture, especially for expectant mothers. Newer therapies that show promising avenues for the reduction of stress include sound therapy, yoga, mantra chanting, and meditation (M). Electroencephalography (EEG) electroencephalography plays an important role in understanding the relaxation effects caused by these practices. This study looks at the immediate...
Background: highlight the neurocognitive-affective mechanisms underpinning mindfulness in young learners. Purpose: This study explored how trait-level psychological dispositions and academic factors relate to electrophysiological and behavioural markers of state mindfulness in novice student meditators. Methods: Ninety-seven university students (mean age = 24.59 years) participated in the...
Emotional dysregulation is a multidimensional construct, understood as frequent and intense experience of emotions combined with a lack of ability to cope with their occurrence. Adolescence represents a crucial developmental period where emotional dysregulation is being increasingly addressed as an emerging mental health issue, with implications on overall well-being, as well as a potential...
Meditation and Yoga practices are being adopted and gaining considerable interest as a tool that prevents the occurrence of numerous ailments. Meditation is well prescribed in several old religious manuscripts and has origins in past Indian practices that encourage emotional and personal well-being. Two different classification tasks were performed. One way to identify the mind state allied...
Breath-awareness practices contribute to stress management and psychological well-being among adolescents. However, their neurobehavioural effects remain underexplored, specifically in the Indian developmental context. This study examined how breath-based Ānāpānasati meditation affects brain electrical activity and the subjective self-reported experiences in adolescent novice meditators...
Over 2000 years old, Anapanasati meditation is the technique of mindful breathing where Anapana is breathing and sati is mindfulness. Anapanasati meditation focuses on training the mind to be sensitive to one or more of the entire body, rupture, pleasure and the mind itself-steadying, satisfying or releasing the mind (Satipathannasutta). Mindfulness can be enhanced with the extensive practice...
Annals of NeurosciencesFebruary 28, 2025Sushanta Kumar Mohanty, Amit Kumar Singh, Subarna Surajita Mohanty et al.3 citations
College students face stressors like academic workload, competition, time management and financial concerns, which affect their psychological, physiological and cognitive functions. Meditation techniques can help mitigate these challenges. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT), a meditation method, on cognitive functions and...
Neural activity and subjective experiences indicate that breath-awareness practices, which focus on mindful observation of breath, promote tranquil calm and thoughtless awareness. This study explores the impact of tristage Ānāpānasati-based breath meditation on electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations and self-reported mindfulness states in novice meditators following a period of effortful...
Meditation using the "OM" mantra is the most widely used practice in India. Though reports have been published about the relaxation effect during both verbal "OM" chanting and listening to "OM" chanting, there is a paucity of literature concerning the cortical areas activated/deactivated after verbal "OM" chanting and listening to "OM" chanting using quantitative electro-encephalography (qEEG)....
Examination stress is a very well-known model of psychological stress in students. It induces changes in systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), along with changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), due to autonomic perturbations. To find out if Raj Yoga meditation (RYM) practice affects autonomic and cardiovascular function in healthy young subjects...
Annals of NeurosciencesApril 2023Olatunji Sunday Yinka, Ogunnaike Philip Olubunmi, Abijo Ayodeji Zabdiel et al.
Despite widespread concerns about its possible side effects, notably on the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which mediates cognitive processes, the use of Cannabis sativa as a medicinal and recreational drug is expanding exponentially. This study evaluated possible behavioral alterations, neurotransmitter levels, histological, and immunohistochemical changes in the PFC of Wistar rats exposed to...
Immediate assent to high altitude affects the cognitive performance and mood of an individual, which is followed by depression and anxiety. It also affects the sleep quality, general health, and happiness quotient of an individual. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) is a cyclical breathing technique, which has been proven successful in managing stress, depression, anxiety, and helps in the improvement...