Characterizing the Dynamical Complexity Underlying Meditation.
Anira Escrichs, Ana Sanjuán, Selen Atasoy, Ane López‐González, César Garrido, Estela Càmara, Gustavo Deco
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience July 10, 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00027 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational fMRI study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Experienced meditators and control participants |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Integration FMRI Ignition Resting-state Whole-brain Dynamical complexity |
| Key findings | In experienced meditators, focused-attention meditation on breathing showed less dynamical complexity than resting-state, while controls showed no such difference; during rest, meditators displayed higher metastability than controls. The authors argue that the meditation state operates in a different dynamical regime than resting-state. |
Abstract
Over the past 2,500 years, contemplative traditions have explored the nature of the mind using meditation. More recently, neuroimaging research on meditation has revealed differences in brain function and structure in meditators. Nevertheless, the underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. In order to understand how meditation shapes global activity through the brain, we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics across the whole-brain functional network using the Intrinsic Ignition Framework. Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that different states of consciousness differ in their underlying dynamical complexity, i.e., how the broadness of communication is elicited and distributed through the brain over time and space. In this work, controls and experienced meditators were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during resting-state and meditation (focused attention on breathing). Our results evidenced that the dynamical complexity underlying meditation shows less complexity than during resting-state in the meditator group but not in the control group. Furthermore, we report that during resting-state, the brain activity of experienced meditators showed higher metastability (i.e., a wider dynamical regime over time) than the one observed in the control group. Overall, these results indicate that the meditation state operates in a different dynamical regime compared to the resting-state.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 25
- Consciousness and complexity: a consilience of evidence Neuroscience of Consciousness 2021
- A complex systems perspective on psychedelic brain action. Trends in Cognitive Sciences February 3, 2023
- Unifying turbulent dynamics framework distinguishes different brain states Communications Biology June 29, 2022
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- The lack of temporal brain dynamics asymmetry as a signature of impaired consciousness states Interface Focus April 14, 2023
and 20 more in the library
Cites 17
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- Enhanced repertoire of brain dynamical states during the psychedelic experience Human Brain Mapping July 3, 2014
- Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 24, 2012
- Connectome-harmonic decomposition of human brain activity reveals dynamical repertoire re-organization under LSD. Scientific Reports December 15, 2017
- Harmonic Brain Modes: A Unifying Framework for Linking Space and Time in Brain Dynamics The Neuroscientist September 1, 2017
and 12 more in the library