Global Effect on Cortical Activity in Young Indian Males in Response to "OM" Chanting: A High-Density Quantitative Electro-Encephalography Study.
Manorma Saini, Ankit Gurjar, Suriya Prakash Muthukrishnan, Simran Kaur, Ratna Sharma, Prashant T Tayade
Annals of Neurosciences July 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1177/09727531231183219 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Adult male undergraduate and postgraduate students with no history of psychiatric, neurological, or auditory disorders and no prior exposure to yoga or meditation |
| Duration | 5-min intervention for each condition, with a 5-min relaxation period between tasks; no follow-up reported |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cortical sources Qeeg Sloreta “om” mantra chanting |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key findings | Both verbal and listening to “OM” chanting activated similar cortical areas (frontoparietal, dorsal attention, and default mode networks), with listening to “OM” additionally activating the orbital gyrus, rectal gyrus, and sub-callosal gyrus. |
Abstract
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). The objective of this study was to compare the effects of verbal "OM" chanting and listening to "OM" chanting on cortical sources as compared to baseline, as assessed by qEEG. Twenty adult male subjects with a mean age of 27.5 ± 7.5 years and no past or present history of psychiatric, neurological, or auditory disorders or previous exposure to yoga and meditation were recruited from the undergraduate and postgraduate student population of AIIMS, New Delhi. Subjects were given a paradigm designed using E-prime for both verbal and listening to "OM" chanting of 5 min each and a 5-min relaxation period in between the tasks. Electroencephalography recording was done using a 128-channel geodesic sensor net with band-pass filtered at 1-70 Hz, and 20-sec data of eyes-closed condition, post-verbal "OM", and post-listening to "OM" chanting were segmented and pre-processed. Further, source analysis was performed on the data using standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography. The pre (baseline) versus post-verbal "OM" (p < .05) and post-listening to "OM" (p < .05) chanting showed significant differences in similar cortical areas in both verbal "OM" and listening to "OM" chanting except the three areas, that is, the orbital gyrus, the rectal gyrus, and the sub-callosal gyrus, which were additionally activated post-listening to "OM" chanting. Both verbal and listening to "OM" chanting induced activation of similar cortical areas, which were classified as the nodes/hubs of specific resting-state networks (RSNs) such as the attentional network, frontoparietal control network, and default mode network. The study results suggest that "OM" chanting could facilitate flexible switching between various RSNs to induce a relaxed state and could improve attention simultaneously.Both verbal and listening to "OM" chanting induced common activated areas that are classified into frontoparietal, dorsal attention, and default mode network areas. And it is hypothesized that flexible switching between these RSNs could induce a relaxed state and improve attention simultaneously with the possible role of the frontoparietal network.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The Neuroscience of Religious and Spiritual Practices: A Systematic Review of Neurotheological Evidence Brain and Behavior August 30, 2026
- Significant Impact of Traditional Yogic Practices with and Without OM Chanting on Psychometric Indices and Academic Performance among Adolescent Girls Physical rehabilitation and recreational health technologies August 30, 2026
- Spectral Analysis of Vishnu Sahasranama: Effects on Stress Levels and Memory Improvement Science Discovery June 27, 2026
- Bridging Science and Spirituality: Investigating the Effects of OM Chanting on Brain Waves Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences October 13, 2025
- Neurophysiological Effects of Om Meditation: Evidence from EEG Studies International Journal of Yoga June 25, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 12
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
and 7 more in the library