Non-dual awareness and sensory processing in meditators: Insights from startle reflex modulation
Veena Kumari, Umisha Tailor, A. Saifullah, Rakesh Pandey, Elena Antonova
Consciousness and Cognition July 8, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103722 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 68 |
| Population | Regular meditators and meditation-naïve individuals |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Habituation Prepulse inhibition Stimulus psychology Moro reflex Audiology Startle response Sensory gating Sensory system Perception Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | No significant differences in habituation or prepulse inhibition were found between meditators and non-meditators, but meditators who could sustain non-dual awareness had significantly greater prepulse inhibition than those who could not. |
Abstract
Startle modulation paradigms, namely habituation and prepulse inhibition (PPI), can offer insight into the brain's early information processing mechanisms that might be impacted by regular meditation practice. Habituation refers to decreasing response to a repeatedly-presented startle stimulus, reflecting its redundancy. PPI refers to response reduction when a startling stimulus "pulse" is preceded by a weaker sensory stimulus "prepulse" and provides an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. Here, we examined habituation and PPI of the acoustic startle response in regular meditators (n = 32), relative to meditation-naïve individuals (n = 36). Overall, there was no significant difference between meditators and non-meditators in habituation or PPI, but there was significantly greater PPI in meditators who self-reported being able to enter and sustain non-dual awareness during their meditation practice (n = 18) relative to those who could not (n = 14). Together, these findings suggest that subjective differences in meditation experience may be associated with differential sensory processing characteristics in meditators.
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 3
- Deconstructive meditations and psychotherapy: Transforming the perception of the self. World Journal of Psychiatry June 19, 2025
- Effectiveness of Deconstructive Meditative Practices in Improving Mental Health and Well-being: A Systematic Review Mindfulness March 27, 2026
- Enlightenment and the Psychology of Self-Transcendence: Pathways to Fundamental Well-Being and Prosocial Behavior IntechOpen eBooks January 13, 2025
Cites 32
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
and 27 more in the library