Neural Differences in Conflict Monitoring, Stimulus Expectancy, and Attention-Related Processes in Experienced Meditators

Abstract Objectives Mindfulness meditation has been linked to differences in attention and executive function, which may be related to differences in neural activity patterns. To explore this, we used an electroencephalography (EEG)-based event-related potential (ERP) paradigm to examine brain responses associated with conflict monitoring and attention in experienced meditators, compared to non-meditators.

Method: We measured N2 and P3 ERPs associated with conflict monitoring and attention processes from 35 meditators and 29 non-meditators across both an easy and a hard Go/Nogo task (50% Nogo and 25% Nogo stimuli, respectively).

Results: Meditators displayed distinct neural activity patterns compared to non-meditators, with stronger N2 responses in fronto-midline electrodes following hard Nogo trials ( p FDR = 0.011, $${\eta}_{\text{p}}^{2}$$ η p 2 = 0.11). The fronto-midline N2 ERP was also larger following Nogo trials than Go trials in the harder task condition and was associated with correct responses. Meditators also exhibited a more frontally distributed P3 ERP in the easy task compared to the hard task, while non-meditators showed a more frontally distributed P3 ERP in the hard task ( p FDR = 0.015, $${\eta}_{\text{p}}^{2}$$ η p 2 = 0.08).

Conclusions: Meditation experience was associated with distinct topographical patterns of neural activity, without corresponding differences in global amplitudes. Exploratory analyses of relationships between task parameters, behavioural performance, and the neural activities of interest indicated these meditation-related effects appear to be more closely associated with attentional processes than with processes specific to conflict monitoring or stimulus expectancy, although we acknowledge that the ERP components examined reflect multiple overlapping cognitive processes. Preregistration This study was not preregistered.