Mindful breathing meditation increases alpha brain wave power in young adults. Electroencephalography data from 15 participants showed a significant postmeditation increase in alpha waves, processed with Finite Impulse Filters, Independent Component Analysis, Short-term Fourier analysis, and power spectral density analysis. Data was also preprocessed for machine learning classifiers (Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, Decision Forest, and Naïve Bayes) to categorize brain waves into Delta, Theta, Low Alpha, High Alpha, Low Beta, and High Beta. Comparative analysis indicates that both mindful breathing meditation and binaural beats strongly affect brain wave patterns, enhancing understanding of meditation's physiological effects on brain function and its potential for improving mental well-being.
This paper reviews the principal scales used to diagnose Disorders of Consciousness (DOC), describing their administration procedures, the aspects they assess, stimulation methods, reliability, and validity. The scales are divided into four groups: descriptive scales based on clinical observation; scales requiring defined stimulation sets; scales based on diagnostic criteria from the Aspen Work Group; and a battery for patients with severe cognitive deficits not yet testable with standard neuropsychological assessments.
Attempts to localize musical abilities in particular brain regions have largely failed, except for differences between musicians and non-musicians in hemispheric specialization and EEG correlations. Human emotional response to music depends on the limbic system, suggesting a possible neurobiological origin for music-induced altered states of consciousness, similar to those in Eastern yogic practices. In a group of 6 adults, 4 types of spiritual music were evaluated. The most prominent changes in theta or alpha frequency bands occurred in two subjects listening to Indian spiritual music, Bhajan.