Contribution of REM sleep and N2 sleep spindles to procedural memory consolidation in Vipassana meditators and non-meditating controls.
Elizaveta Solomonova, Simon Dubé, Cloé Blanchette-Carrière, Arnaud Samson-Richer, Michelle Carr, Tyna Paquette, Tore Nielsen
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Vipassana meditation practitioners and meditation-naïve controls |
| Duration | Single daytime nap |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Meditators and controls improved similarly on a procedural task after a nap, but the patterns of sleep-dependent memory consolidation differed between groups, with meditators showing spindle-related learning and controls showing REM-related improvement. |
Abstract
Study objectives: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and sleep spindles are all implicated in the consolidation of procedural memories. The relative contributions of sleep stages and sleep spindles was previously shown to depend on individual differences in task processing. Experience with Vipassana meditation is one such individual difference that has not been investigated in relation to sleep. Vipassana meditation is a form of mental training that enhances proprioceptive and somatic awareness and alters attentional style. The goal was thus to examine a potential moderating role for Vipassana meditation experience on sleep-dependent procedural memory consolidation.Methods: Groups of Vipassana meditation practitioners (N=20) and matched meditation-naïve controls (N=20) slept for a single daytime nap in the laboratory. Before and after the nap they completed a procedural task on the Wii Fit balance platform.Results: Meditators performed slightly better on the task before the nap, but the two groups improved similarly after sleep. The groups showed different patterns of sleep-dependent procedural memory consolidation: in meditators task learning was negatively correlated with density of fast and positively correlated with density of slow occipital spindles, while in controls task improvement was associated with increases in REM sleep. Meditation practitioners had a lower density of sleep spindles, especially in occipital regions.Conclusions: Results suggest that neuroplastic changes associated with sustained meditation practice may alter overall sleep architecture and reorganize sleep-dependent patterns of memory consolidation. The lower density of spindles in meditators may mean that meditation practice compensates for some of the memory functions of sleep.
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
Cites 38
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
and 33 more in the library