Reconfiguration of Electroencephalography Microstate Networks after Breath-Focused, Digital Meditation Training.
Lucie Bréchet, David A Ziegler, Alexander J. Simon, Denis Brunet, Adam Gazzaley, Christoph M. Michel
Brain Connectivity March 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0848 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Young adults |
| Interventions | breath-focused digital meditation training |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | EEG Microstates EEG Source Localization Attention Bodily self-consciousness Meditation training |
| Key findings | Six weeks of breath-focused, digital meditation training led to topographical changes in resting-state EEG microstates, suggesting reorganization of brain network connectivity, which were not observed in an active placebo control group. |
Abstract
Sustained attention and working memory were improved in young adults after they engaged in a recently developed, closed-loop, digital meditation practice. Whether this type of meditation also has a sustained effect on dominant resting-state networks is currently unknown. In this study, we examined the resting brain states before and after a period of breath-focused, digital meditation training versus placebo using an electroencephalography (EEG) microstate approach. We found topographical changes in postmeditation rest, compared with baseline rest, selectively for participants who were actively involved in the meditation training and not in participants who engaged with an active, expectancy-match, placebo control paradigm. Our results suggest a reorganization of brain network connectivity after 6 weeks of intensive meditation training in brain areas, mainly including the right insula, the superior temporal gyrus, the superior parietal lobule, and the superior frontal gyrus bilaterally. These findings provide an opening for the development of a novel noninvasive treatment of neuropathological states by low-cost, breath-focused, digital meditation practice, which can be monitored by the EEG microstate approach.
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 11
- EEG Microstates in Altered States of Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology April 27, 2022
- Heartfulness Meditation: A Yogic and Neuroscientific Perspective Frontiers in Psychology May 10, 2022
- Neurocomputational Mechanisms of Sense of Agency: Literature Review for Integrating Predictive Coding and Adaptive Control in Human–Machine Interfaces Brain Sciences April 14, 2025
- Electroencephalography microstates highlight specific mindfulness traits. European Journal of Neuroscience April 1, 2024
- Closed-Loop Systems and Real-Time Neurofeedback in Mindfulness Meditation Research. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 19
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience December 3, 2007
- Not all minds that wander are lost: the importance of a balanced perspective on the mind-wandering state Frontiers in Psychology 2013
and 14 more in the library