Meditation induces shifts in neural oscillations, brain complexity and critical dynamics: Novel insights from MEG
Annalisa Pascarella, Philipp Thölke, David Meunier, Jordan O’Byrne, Tarek Lajnef, Antonino Raffone, Roberto Guidotti, Vittorio Pizzella, Laura Marzetti, Karim Jerbi
bioRxiv March 19, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.03.18.643795 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational neuroimaging study |
|---|---|
| Population | Expert Buddhist monks |
| Measures | power spectral density (PSD), long-range temporal correlations (LRTC), deviation from criticality coefficient (DCC), Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC), 1/f slope, Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD), spectral entropy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | During both Samatha and Vipassana meditation, monks showed increased neural signal complexity and reduced gamma-band long-range temporal correlations and 1/f slope relative to rest. A deviation-from-criticality measure distinguished the two practices, which the authors suggest reflects their distinct phenomenological properties. Gamma power decreased during meditation, which the authors attribute to 1/f slope correction. |
Abstract
While the beneficial impacts of meditation are increasingly acknowledged, its underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. We examined the electrophysiological brain signals of expert Buddhist monks during two established meditation methods known as Samatha and Vipassana, which employ focused attention and open monitoring technique. By combining source-space magnetoencephalography (MEG) with advanced signal processing and machine learning tools, we provide an unprecedented assessment of the role of brain oscillations, complexity and criticality in meditation. In addition to power spectral density (PSD), we computed long-range temporal correlations (LRTC), deviation from criticality coefficient (DCC), Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC), 1/f slope, Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD), and spectral entropy. Our findings indicate increased levels of neural signal complexity during both meditation practices compared to the resting state, along-side widespread reductions in gamma-band LRTC and 1/f slope. Importantly, the DCC analysis revealed a separation between Samatha and Vipassana, suggesting that their distinct phenomenological properties are mediated by specific computational characteristics of their dynamic states. Furthermore, in contrast to most previous reports, we observed a decrease in oscillatory gamma power during meditation, a divergence we attribute to the correction of the power spectrum by the 1/f slope. We discuss how these results advance our comprehension of the neural processes associated with focused attention and open monitoring meditation practices.
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
Cites 35
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
and 30 more in the library