Mind and body connection in expert meditators: a computational study based on central and peripheral nervous system
Francesca Borghesi, Riccardo Cremascoli, Alice Chirico, Laura Bianchi, Amalia di Moia, Lorenzo Priano, Alessandro Piedimonte, Alessandro Mauro, Pietro Cipresso
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies March 7, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04413-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | 10 expert meditators (more than 7 years of daily NGALSO meditation) and 10 healthy inexperienced participants |
| Intervention | NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Electroencephalography Transcendental meditation Neurofeedback Neuropsychology Audiology Mind–body problem Cognition Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Expert meditators showed significantly higher EEG alpha, theta, and beta power and higher sympathetic tone after meditation, while controls showed the opposite pattern, indicating greater effort in experts. |
Abstract
A meditative 'technique' is conceived as a continuum of different affective states involving mind and body jointly. Meditative practices can involve cognitive effort (e.g., focused attention and open-minded techniques), as well as automatic and implicit practices (e.g., transcendental techniques). The NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique is a brief, comprehensive meditation technique relying on mind and body connection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the state and the trait neurophysiological correlates of NGALSO meditation practice. First, 19 EEG channels and a 3-lead ECG signal were recorded from 10 expert meditators (more than 7 years of daily meditation) and 10 healthy inexpert participants (controls) who underwent the same meditative procedure. The neuropsychological profiles of experts and controls were compared. Results showed that expert meditators had significantly higher power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher sympathetic tone with lower parasympathetic tone after meditation. Conversely, the control group had significantly less power spectra on alpha, theta and beta, and a higher parasympathetic tone with lower sympathetic tone after meditation. A machine learning approach also allowed us to classify experts vs. controls correctly by using only EEG Theta bands before or after meditation. ECG results allowed us to show a significantly higher effort by expert meditators vs. controls, thus suggesting that a higher effort is required for this meditation, in line with the principle 'no pain, no gain' in body and mind.
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 4
- EEG evidence for reproducible neural states during Buddhist Highest Yoga Tantra meditation Scientific Reports July 29, 2026
- Exploring EEG biomarkers in meditation, yoga, and mantra practices: a review of neural correlates and methodologies Neural Computing and Applications March 5, 2026
- Evaluating Brain Activity in Response to Short Meditation Stimuli Using R-Score, Electroencephalography, and Neural Networks. Annals of Neurosciences October 17, 2025
- Tetrahedral feature map for analyzing meditative states in prenatal EEG Engineering Research Express May 6, 2025
Cites 28
- Mindfulness‐based stress reduction and attentional control Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy November 1, 2007
- Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity – A review Frontiers in Psychology September 23, 2014
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- Quantitative change of EEG and respiration signals during mindfulness meditation Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation May 14, 2014
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
and 23 more in the library