[Anterior prefrontal cortex and serotonergic system activation during Zen meditation practice induces negative mood improvement and increased alpha band in EEG].
Hideho Arita
Rinsho shinkeigaku = Clinical neurology 2012 DOI: 10.5692/clinicalneurol.52.1279 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Tanden breathing |
| Duration | 20-minute session |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation Serotonin |
| Key findings | Tanden breathing increased anterior prefrontal cortex activity and serotonin levels, and reduced negative mood in novices. |
Abstract
To gain insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in Zen meditation, we evaluated the effects of abdominal (Tanden) breathing in novices. We investigated hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an ttention-related brain region, using 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy during a 20-munite session of Tanden breathing in 15 healthy volunteers. We found that the level of oxygenated hemoglobin in the anterior PFC was significantly increased during Tanden breathing, accompanied by a reduction in feeling of negative mood compared to before the meditation session. Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed increased alpha band activity and decreased theta band activity during Tanden breathing. EEG changes were correlated with a significant increase in whole blood serotonin (5-HT) levels. These results suggest that activation of the anterior PFC and 5-HT system may be responsible for the improvement of negative mood and EEG signal changes observed during Tanden breathing.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE ZEN MEDITATION (ZAZEN) Zen priests and disciples of Zen sects of Buddhism | 1966 | Observational study | n = 48 |
| “Thinking about Not-Thinking”: Neural Correlates of Conceptual Processing during Zen Meditation Regular Zen practitioners and matched control subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Individual Trait Anxiety Levels Characterizing the Properties of Zen Meditation Healthy adults who had not previously practiced any form of meditation | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Zen meditation, Length of Telomeres, and the Role of Experiential Avoidance and Compassion 20 Zen meditation experts and 20 healthy matched non-meditators | 2016 | Observational cohort | n = 40 |
| EEG dynamics of experienced Zen meditation practitioners probed by complexity index and spectral measure Experienced Zen meditation practitioners and matched controls | 2009 | Observational cohort | n = 46 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
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- Exploring EEG as a Tool for Advancing Consciousness Studies: Principles, Methodologies, and Innovations 2025 6th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Control May 7, 2025