Neurodynamic profiles in the alpha band distinguish different forms of meditation.
Bianca Ventura, Andrea Buccellato, Saketh Malipeddi, Rahul Venugopal, Ravindra P. Nagendra, Bindu M Kutty, Georg Northoff
Neuroscience of Consciousness 2026 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niag036 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Shoonya meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Peak frequency sliding Power sliding Alpha oscillations Meditation techniques Temporal dynamics |
| Key findings | Vipassana exhibited lower coefficient of variation and permutation entropy in both peak frequency sliding and power sliding compared to Shoonya, indicating more stable and regular temporal dynamics in alpha-band activity. |
Abstract
Different forms of meditation, like Vipassana and Shoonya, require distinct attentional features. For instance, Vipassana, which involves systematically scanning different body parts, may demand a sustained yet dynamic focus with a temporally stable and regular attentional emphasis. In contrast, Shoonya meditation has been described as involving a non-directed or defocused attentional stance, likely with a temporally variable and irregular attentional flow. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to examine whether these differences could correspond to distinct neurodynamic patterns in the alpha band. We measured two time-resolved dynamic measures including phase-based Peak Frequency Sliding (PFS), indexing fine-grained millisecond temporal resolution, and Power Sliding (PS), indexing oscillatory amplitude. Beyond mean values, we additionally quantified the temporal dynamics of PFS and PS using coefficient of variation (CV) as an index of variability, and permutation entropy (PE) as a measure of temporal irregularity. While mean differences between the two practices were observed only for PS (and not PFS), their dynamic variants more robustly distinguished the two practices. Specifically, Vipassana exhibited lower CV and PE in both PFS and PS compared to Shoonya. These findings indicate that the two practices differ more strongly in the temporal-dynamic organization of alpha-band activity than in their static averaged measures. More broadly, they support the view that dynamic features such as variability and temporal irregularity may be shared by both brain and experience, as their "common currency," during different contemplative practices.
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 38
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity – A review Frontiers in Psychology September 23, 2014
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- From many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2021
and 33 more in the library