Increased Gamma Brainwave Amplitude Compared to Control in Three Different Meditation Traditions.
Claire Braboszcz, B Rael Cahn, Jonathan Levy, Manuel Fernandez, Arnaud Delorme
PLoS One 2017 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170647 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Practitioners of Vipassana, Himalayan Yoga, and Isha Shoonya meditation traditions, plus a control group |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Meditators from three traditions showed higher parieto-occipital gamma amplitude (60-110 Hz) than controls, and this gamma power correlated positively with meditation experience. |
Abstract
Despite decades of research, effects of different types of meditation on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity are still being defined. We compared practitioners of three different meditation traditions (Vipassana, Himalayan Yoga and Isha Shoonya) with a control group during a meditative and instructed mind-wandering (IMW) block. All meditators showed higher parieto-occipital 60-110 Hz gamma amplitude than control subjects as a trait effect observed during meditation and when considering meditation and IMW periods together. Moreover, this gamma power was positively correlated with participants meditation experience. Independent component analysis was used to show that gamma activity did not originate in eye or muscle artifacts. In addition, we observed higher 7-11 Hz alpha activity in the Vipassana group compared to all the other groups during both meditation and instructed mind wandering and lower 10-11 Hz activity in the Himalayan yoga group during meditation only. We showed that meditation practice is correlated to changes in the EEG gamma frequency range that are common to a variety of meditation 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
Cited by 137
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Meditation Increases the Entropy of Brain Oscillatory Activity Neuroscience February 4, 2020
- A Systematic Review of Transcendent States Across Meditation and Contemplative Traditions. Explore 2018
- Neural and subjective effects of inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine in natural settings. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 10, 2021
and 132 more in the library
Cites 32
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
and 27 more in the library