Spatially Nonlinear Interdependence of Alpha-Oscillatory Neural Networks under Chan Meditation.
Pei-Chen Lo, Chih-Hao Chang
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine December 17, 2013 DOI: 10.1155/2013/360371 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Ten experienced Chan-Meditation practitioners and ten healthy subjects of similar age without meditation experience |
| Interventions | Chan meditation Chakra-focusing practice |
| Measures | Nonlinear interdependence quantified by similarity index S(X|Y), continuous-time wavelet transform |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Chan meditation practitioners exhibited stronger interactions among local neural networks during meditation and Chakra-focusing than at rest, and stronger cortical inter-regional interactions than non-meditators at rest. |
Abstract
This paper reports the results of our investigation of the effects of Chan meditation on brain electrophysiological behaviors from the viewpoint of spatially nonlinear interdependence among regional neural networks. Particular emphasis is laid on the alpha-dominated EEG (electroencephalograph). Continuous-time wavelet transform was adopted to detect the epochs containing substantial alpha activities. Nonlinear interdependence quantified by similarity index S(X∣Y), the influence of source signal Y on sink signal X, was applied to the nonlinear dynamical model in phase space reconstructed from multichannel EEG. Experimental group involved ten experienced Chan-Meditation practitioners, while control group included ten healthy subjects within the same age range, yet, without any meditation experience. Nonlinear interdependence among various cortical regions was explored for five local neural-network regions, frontal, posterior, right-temporal, left-temporal, and central regions. In the experimental group, the inter-regional interaction was evaluated for the brain dynamics under three different stages, at rest (stage R, pre-meditation background recording), in Chan meditation (stage M), and the unique Chakra-focusing practice (stage C). Experimental group exhibits stronger interactions among various local neural networks at stages M and C compared with those at stage R. The intergroup comparison demonstrates that Chan-meditation brain possesses better cortical inter-regional interactions than the resting brain of control group.
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 5
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- EEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics during Meditation: Progress and Challenges Advances in Preventive Medicine 2015
- Macrostate and Microstate of EEG Spatio-Temporal Nonlinear Dynamics in Zen Meditation Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science 2017
- Comparison of Spatio-Spectral Properties of Zen-Meditation and Resting EEG Based on Unsupervised Learning Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science 2021
- EEG based interpretation of human brain activity during yoga and meditation using machine learning: A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice February 14, 2021
Cites 10
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress Journal of Psychiatric Practice July 1, 2012
- EEG dynamics of experienced Zen meditation practitioners probed by complexity index and spectral measure Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology 2009
- EEG Alpha Blocking Correlated with Perception of Inner Light During Zen Meditation The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 2003
- Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
and 5 more in the library