The Effects of Concentrative Meditation on the Electroencephalogram in Novice Meditators
Alexander T. Duda, Adam R. Clarke, Frances M. De Blasio, Thomas W. Rout, Robert J. Barry
Clinical EEG and Neuroscience March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1177/15500594211065897 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Novice meditators |
| Intervention | concentrative meditation |
| Duration | Approximately one-month |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Low Alpha (∼9.5-10.0 Hz) increased during both meditation and resting states after one month of daily concentrative meditation practice, while other spectral components increased only during meditation. |
Abstract
Following investigations into the benefits of meditation on psychological health and well-being, research is now seeking to understand the mechanisms underlying these outcomes. This study aimed to identify natural alpha and theta frequency components during eyes-closed resting and concentrative meditation states and examined their differences within and between two testing sessions. Novice meditators had their EEG recorded during eyes-closed resting and concentrative meditation conditions, before and after engaging in a brief daily concentrative meditation practice for approximately one-month. Separate frequency Principal Components Analyses (f-PCA) yielded four spectral components of interest, congruent between both conditions and sessions: Delta-Theta-Alpha, Low Alpha, High Alpha, and Alpha-Beta. While all four components showed some increase in the meditation condition at the second session, only Low Alpha (∼9.5-10.0 Hz) showed similar increases while resting. These findings support the use of f-PCA as a novel method of data analysis in the investigation of psychophysiological states in meditation.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of focused attention meditation: A scoping systematic review Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Novel machine learning-driven comparative analysis of CSP, STFT, and CSP-STFT fusion for EEG data classification across multiple meditation and non-meditation sessions in BCI pipeline Brain Informatics February 8, 2025
- Common spatial pattern for classification of loving kindness meditation EEG for single and multiple sessions Brain Informatics September 9, 2023
- Mindfulness meditation alters alpha amplitude without affecting arousal. International Journal of Psychophysiology June 14, 2025
- Intentional Slow Breathing Versus Spontaneous Breathing During Mindfulness Meditation Differentially Affects Electroencephalographic Oscillations and Skin Conductance Mindfulness May 26, 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 32
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Contemplating Mindfulness at Work Journal of Management November 19, 2015
- Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. American Psychologist 2006
and 27 more in the library