Analytical meditation improves physiological well-being in expert practitioners: a study on central and peripheral neurophysiological correlates
Alejandro Luis Callara, Mohammad Hadi Azarabad, Laura Sebastiani, Ngawang Sherab, Jampa Khechok, Jampa Tsering, Jampa Thakchoe, Jampa Soepa, Nicola Vanello, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, Alberto Greco, Bruno Neri
bioRxiv Preprint Server December 8, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.64898/2025.12.08.692357 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Experienced Tibetan monk practitioners |
| Intervention | Emptiness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Advanced meditative states foster an adaptive integration of autonomic and cortical responses, supporting the emergence of relaxed-vigilance. |
Abstract
Meditation has been long associated with improvements in mental well-being, emotional regulation, and attentional control. Yet, the diversity of meditative techniques and participant expertise has hindered the systematic identification of their neurophysiological correlates supporting these benefits. To address this challenge, we investigated the neurophysiological signatures of concentrative and analytical meditation in 35 experienced Tibetan monk practitioners. EEG, ECG, EDA, and respiration were simultaneously recorded during Concentrative, Loving-Kindness and Emptiness meditations. Linear-mixed-models revealed significant modulations in autonomic and cortical activity across meditations. Peripheral indices indicated enhanced parasympathetic tone, decreases respiratory rate, and gradual increase in EDA – reflecting a state of relaxed-alertness with concurrent vagal engagement and sustained sympathetic arousal. EEG analyses supported this state showing elevated gamma-band power during analytical meditations. These findings suggest that advanced meditative states foster an adaptive integration of autonomic and cortical responses, supporting the emergence of relaxed-vigilance – a psychophysiological condition associated with well-being and cognitive flexibility.
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
Cites 27
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 22 more in the library