High-precision neurofeedback-guided meditation training optimises real-world self-guided meditation practice for well-being
Saampras Ganesan, Nicholas T. van Dam, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Matthew D. Sacchet, Masaya Misaki, Bradford A. Moffat, Valentina Lorenzetti, Andrew Zalesky
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) October 26, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.25.618656 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-blind, controlled, longitudinal paradigm |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Novice meditators |
| Duration | Two consecutive days of meditation training with intermittent feedback, plus one week of real-world self-guided meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Neurofeedback Disengagement theory Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Posterior cingulate Psychotherapist Cognitive psychology Clinical psychology Cognition Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Personalized high-precision neurofeedback from the posterior cingulate cortex improved disengagement from mental activity during meditation and enhanced emotional well-being and mindful awareness in real-world practice. |
Abstract
Meditation can benefit well-being and mental health, but novices often struggle to effectively recognize and disengage from mental processes during meditation due to limited awareness, potentially diminishing meditation's benefits. We investigated whether personalised high-precision neurofeedback (NF) can improve disengagement from mental activity during meditation and enhance meditation's outcomes. In a single-blind, controlled, longitudinal paradigm, 40 novice meditators underwent two consecutive days of meditation training with intermittent visual feedback from either their own (N=20) or a matched participant's (N=20; control group) posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activity measured using 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging. During training, the experimental group showed stronger functional decoupling of PCC from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, indicating better control over disengagement from mental processes during meditation. This led to greater improvements in emotional well-being and mindful awareness of mental processes during a week of real-world self-guided meditation. We provide compelling evidence supporting the utility of high-precision NF-guided meditation training to optimise real-world meditation practice for well-being.