Closed-loop Digital Meditation Improves Sustained Attention in Young Adults
David A Ziegler, Alexander J. Simon, Courtney L. Gallen, Sasha Skinner, J. Janowich, Joshua J Volponi, Camarin E. Rolle, J. Mishra, J. Kornfield, Joaquin A. Anguera, Adam Gazzaley
Nature Human Behaviour June 3, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0611-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy young adults |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Six weeks of engagement with a meditation-inspired, closed-loop software program (MediTrain) led to gains in both sustained attention and working memory in healthy young adults. |
Abstract
Attention is a fundamental cognitive process that is critical for essentially all aspects of higher-order cognition and real-world activities. Younger generations have deeply embraced information technology and multitasking in their personal lives, school and the workplace, creating myriad challenges to their attention. While improving sustained attention in healthy young adults would be beneficial, enhancing this ability has proven notoriously difficult in this age group. Here we show that 6 weeks of engagement with a meditation-inspired, closed-loop software program (MediTrain) delivered on mobile devices led to gains in both sustained attention and working memory in healthy young adults. These improvements were associated with positive changes in key neural signatures of attentional control (frontal theta inter-trial coherence and parietal P3b latency), as measured by electroencephalography. Our findings suggest the utility of delivering aspects of the ancient practice of focused-attention meditation in a modern, technology-based approach and its benefits on enhancing sustained attention. Ziegler et al. show that healthy young adults who used a meditation-inspired closed-loop app (MediTrain) for 6 weeks experienced gains in both sustained attention and working memory.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 20
- Biological mechanism study of meditation and its application in mental disorders General Psychiatry July 13, 2020
- EEG Microstates in Altered States of Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology April 27, 2022
- Closed-Loop Systems and Real-Time Neurofeedback in Mindfulness Meditation Research. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Dhyana yoga, the path of meditative being: Psychotherapeutic insights from the east. Asian Journal of Psychiatry June 1, 2025
- Effects of a closed-loop mindfulness-based program for reducing stress in family caregivers of people with dementia: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology July 1, 2025
and 15 more in the library
Cites 13
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
and 8 more in the library