Closed-Loop Frontal Midlineθ Neurofeedback: A Novel Approach for Training Focused-Attention Meditation.
Tracy Brandmeyer, Arnaud Delorme
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 30, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00246 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with active sham control (as implied by comparison of neurofeedback and matched sham groups) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditation novice participants |
| Intervention | Sham neurofeedback |
| Duration | Eight sessions |
| Measures | frontal-midline theta (FMθ) oscillations, n-back working memory task reaction times |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | EEG Attention training Adaptive neurofeedback Frontal mid-line theta |
| Key findings | Participants who received eight sessions of an adaptive FMθ-meditation neurofeedback protocol significantly modulated frontal-midline theta over frontal electrodes using focused-attention meditation strategies relative to baseline and showed significantly faster reaction times on correct n-back trials. Active control participants receiving age- and gender-matched sham neurofeedback showed no significant differences in frontal theta activity or behavior. |
Abstract
Cortical oscillations serve as an index of both sensory and cognitive processes and represent one of the most promising candidates for training and targeting the top-down mechanisms underlying executive functions. Research findings suggest that theta (θ) oscillations (3-7 Hz) recorded over frontal-midline electrodes are broadly associated with a number of higher-order cognitive processes and may serve as the mechanistic backbone for cognitive control. Frontal-midline theta (FMθ) oscillations have also been shown to inversely correlate with activity in the default mode network (DMN), a network in the brain linked to spontaneous thought processes such as mind-wandering and rumination. In line with these findings, we previously observed increased FMθ oscillations in expert meditation practitioners during reported periods of focused-attention meditation practice when compared to periods of mind-wandering. In an effort to narrow the explanatory gap by directly connecting observed neurophysiological activity in the brain to the phenomenological nature of reported experience, we designed a methodologically novel and adaptive neurofeedback protocol with the aim of modulating FMθ while having meditation novice participants implement breath-focus strategies derived from focused-attention mediation practices. Participants who received eight sessions of the adaptive FMθ-meditation neurofeedback protocol were able to significantly modulate FMθ over frontal electrodes using focused-attention meditation strategies relative to their baseline by the end of the training and demonstrated significantly faster reaction times on correct trials during the n-back working memory task assessed before and after the FMθ-meditation neurofeedback protocol. No significant differences in frontal theta activity or behavior were observed in the active control participants who received age and gender matched sham neurofeedback. These findings help lay the groundwork for the development of brain training protocols and neurofeedback applications that aim to train features of the mental states and traits associated with focused-attention meditation.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 22
- Volitional mental absorption in meditation: Toward a scientific understanding of advanced concentrative absorption meditation and the case of jhana. Heliyon May 14, 2024
- EEG-based investigation of effects of mindfulness meditation training on state and trait by deep learning and traditional machine learning Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 31, 2023
- Decoding Depth of Meditation: Electroencephalography Insights From Expert Vipassana Practitioners Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science October 17, 2024
- Neuromeditation: The Science and Practice of Combining Neurofeedback and Meditation for Improved Mental Health Smart Biofeedback - Perspectives and Applications September 28, 2020
- Consumer-Grade Neurofeedback With Mindfulness Meditation: Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research April 17, 2025
and 17 more in the library
Cites 16
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Frontal theta EEG activity correlates negatively with the default mode network in resting state International Journal of Psychophysiology July 13, 2007
and 11 more in the library