EEG microstates during different phases of Transcendental Meditation practice.
Pascal L Faber, Frederick Travis, Patricia Milz, Niyazi Parim
Cognitive Processing August 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-017-0812-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Transcendental Meditation practitioners |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Brain mapping Cognition Electroencephalography Resting state |
| Key findings | Resting and transcending showed decreased prominence of Class A and increased prominence of Class D microstates compared to undirected mentation, with transcending also showing decreased Class C microstates. |
Abstract
Two phases of Transcendental Meditation (TM)-transcending and undirected mentation-were compared to each other and to task-free resting using multichannel EEG recorded from 20 TM practitioners. An EEG microstate analysis identified four classes of microstates which were labeled A, B, C and D, based on their similarity to previously published classes. For each class of microstates, mean duration, coverage and occurrence were computed. Resting and transcending differed from undirected mentation with decreased prominence of Class A and increased prominence of Class D microstates. In addition, transcending showed decreased prominence of Class C microstates compared to undirected mentation. Based on previous findings on the functional significance of the microstate classes, the results indicate an increased reference to reality and decreased visualization during resting and transcending compared to undirected mentation. Also, our results indicate decreased saliency of internally generated mentations during transcending compared to undirected mentation reflecting a more detached and less evaluative processing. It is proposed that the continuous cycling through these two phases of meditation during a TM session might facilitate and train the flexible modulation of the parameters of these microstates of these particular classes which are known to be altered in psychiatric disorders. This might promote beneficial stabilizing effects for the practitioner of TM.
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
Cited by 17
- EEG Microstates in Altered States of Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology April 27, 2022
- Silence in Shamatha, Transcendental, and Stillness Meditation: An Evidence Synthesis Based on Expert Texts Frontiers in Psychology July 8, 2020
- Evidence synthesis indicates contentless experiences in meditation are neither truly contentless nor identical Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences May 24, 2022
- The path to contentless experience in meditation: An evidence synthesis based on expert texts Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences June 2, 2022
- Electroencephalography microstates highlight specific mindfulness traits. European Journal of Neuroscience April 1, 2024
and 12 more in the library
Cites 9
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- An analysis of recent meditation research and suggestions for future directions. The Humanistic Psychologist 2003
- Mind wandering and attention during focused meditation: a fine-grained temporal analysis of fluctuating cognitive states. Neuroimage January 2, 2012
- The exploration of meditation in the neuroscience of attention and consciousness. Cognitive Processing February 1, 2010
and 4 more in the library