Effect of Gayatri Mantra Meditation on Meditation Naive Subjects: an EEG and fMRI Pilot Study
International Journal of Indian Psychology March 25, 2016 DOI: 10.25215/0302.114 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Meditation-naive subjects who have not practiced any form of meditation |
| Intervention | Listening to Gayatri mantra |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mantra Audiology Supramarginal gyrus Electroencephalography Splenium Cognitive psychology Magnetic resonance imaging |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key findings | Listening to the Gayatri mantra activates the bilateral superior temporal gyri, right temporal lobe, right insula, left inferior parietal lobule, lateral globus pallidus, and culmen of the cerebellum. |
Abstract
A mantra is a word or phrase repeated aloud or silently and used to focus attention. Meditation using mantras is widely practiced in India. However, research on the effects of mantra meditation on the brain is sparse. The aim was to study the effect of listening to Gayatri mantra on the brain using Elecroencephalograph (EEG) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Sample included 8 meditation naive subjects, who have not been practicing any form of meditation. There were 12 subjects for the EEG study and 8 subjects for the fMRI study. The results showed that the areas that had maximum activation were the bilateral superior temporal gyri, right temporal lobe, right insula, left inferior parietal lobule, lateral globuspallidus and culmen of the cerebellum. There were some EEG changes before and after listening to Gayatri mantra also, but reliable analysis could not be carried out due to the less number of samples. Results indicate that mantra meditation can result in changes in the brain.
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 9
- Effects of Mindfulness with Gayatri Mantra on Decreasing Anxiety in the Elderly Holistic Nursing and Health Science July 10, 2018
- Effect of Gayatri Mantra on Health: A Narrative Review. December 16, 2022
- Decreased Beta and Gamma Band Power following Mantra Exposure: An EEG Analysis in Expectant Mothers 2026 IEEE Guwahati Subsection Conference June 1, 2026
- A deep learning approach for analyzing brainwave signals during audio meditation in expectant mothers: variational mode decomposition with a CNN-BiLSTM model. Biomedical physics & engineering express March 31, 2026
- Neurophysiological Effects of Gayatri Mantra Meditation on Emotional Processing: An EEG-ERP Study. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback December 22, 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 3
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience December 3, 2007
- Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin March 2006