Comparative Analysis of Depth of Meditation Between Long-Term and Short Term Meditators using Electroencephalography
Dipti Magan, Raj Kumar Yadav, Kishore Kumar Deepak
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Physiology December 30, 2019 DOI: 10.5530/ijcep.2018.5.4.18 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractLong-term meditators (practicing preksha meditation for more than five years, at least five days a week) and short-term meditators (after a 10-day yoga-based lifestyle intervention) show distinct patterns of alpha and theta brainwave activity during meditation compared to their own baseline, and also differ from each other and from non-meditating controls at baseline. The study recorded 40 minutes of EEG on day 0 and day 10 in 34 male, right-handed participants. These differences may help define EEG features that distinguish meditators based on practice duration and meditation depth.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Prospective study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Apparently healthy male, right-handed adults; long-term meditators (preksha meditation >5 years, ≥5 days/week), short-term meditators (after 10-day yoga-based lifestyle intervention), and healthy controls (no dietary/yoga intervention) |
| Interventions | Preksha meditation yoga-based lifestyle intervention |
| Duration | 10-day intervention with EEG recordings at day 0 (baseline) and day 10 (during meditation) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Term time Electroencephalography Psychology Audiology |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key finding | Long-term meditators and short-term meditators show significantly different patterns of alpha and theta wave activity during meditation versus baseline, and baseline EEG waves differ significantly among long-term meditators, short-term meditators, and controls. |
Abstract
Background and Aim: The present study was designed to evaluate the brain electrical activity among Long-term meditators (LTMs) and Short-term meditators (STMs) using Electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: This prospective study involved 40 mins of EEG recordings, carried out twice i.e. at Day 0 (Baseline) and at Day 10 (During meditation) in thirty-four (34) participants. Twelve (12) apparently healthy male, right-handed, practicing preksha meditation (Since >5 years, at least 5 days a week) were recruited as long-term meditators; Twelve (12) subjects who attended the 10-days short-term yoga-based lifestyle intervention program were recruited as short-term meditators; Ten (10) male healthy controls, who did not participate in any dietary/yoga intervention were recruited among the staff members. The EEG waves were analyzed at Day 0 and at Day 10 using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and Repeated measured ANOVA respectively. One-way ANOVA was used for the baseline EEG waves activity comparison among LTMs vs. STMs vs. Controls. The response to photic stimulation was also assessed during meditation. Results: Significant different patterns of alpha and theta waves (p<0.05) activity was observed for LTM vs. STM during meditation vs. baseline. Also, significant different baseline EEG waves (p<0.05) were observed among LTM vs. STM vs. Controls. Conclusion: Findings may be useful in defining the basic EEG features to differentiate meditators based on the duration of practice of meditation and depth of meditation.