The neuroscience of advanced meditation: The promise of third wave meditation research.
Matthew D. Sacchet, Jonathan M. Lieberman
Neuron May 6, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2026.02.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Third wave meditation research investigates advanced meditation states, stages, and endpoints, with current neuroscientific progress and far-reaching implications. |
Abstract
Third wave meditation research-the study of advanced meditation-investigates states, stages, and endpoints of meditation practice that emerge with increasing mastery. We review current neuroscientific progress, outline future research directions, and highlight far-reaching implications of this emerging scientific subfield.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Bridging the Gap Between Contemporary and Buddhist Definitions of Mindfulness: A Scoping Review Mindfulness October 3, 2026
- Toward an interdisciplinary mind science of advanced meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences September 9, 2026
- Longitudinal Characterization of a Novel Class of Recurrent, Stereotyped Neurophysiological Events in an Advanced Meditator bioRxiv August 5, 2026
- Brain criticality and advanced meditation “cessation” events: An intensively sampled electroencephalography case study IBRO Neuroscience Reports August 1, 2026
Cites 8
- Minimal phenomenal experience Philosophy and the Mind Sciences March 24, 2020
- Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study. Neuropsychologia September 28, 2023
- Intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of volitional control of brain activity in deep absorptive meditation states. Cerebral Cortex January 14, 2024
- Modulating self-referential processing through meditation and psychedelics: is scientific investigation of self-transcendence clinically relevant? World Psychiatry June 1, 2024
- Suspending the Embodied Self in Meditation Attenuates Beta Oscillations in the Posterior Medial Cortex. Journal of Neuroscience June 26, 2024
and 3 more in the library