Hemodynamic responses on prefrontal cortex related to meditation and attentional task.
Singh Deepeshwar, Suhas Ashok Vinchurkar, Naveen Kalkuni Visweswaraiah, Hongasandra Ramarao Nagendra
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience February 17, 2015 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00252 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subject experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Healthy male volunteers aged 18 to 30 years (group mean age 22.9 ± 4.6 years) |
| Interventions | Meditation Random thinking |
| Duration | 20 minutes of meditation and 20 minutes of random thinking, each followed by a Stroop task |
| Measures | functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), color-word Stroop task reaction time |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cerebral blood flow Fnirs Stroop task Attention task |
| Key findings | Meditation increased oxy-hemoglobin and total hemoglobin and reduced deoxy-hemoglobin over the right prefrontal cortex, while random thinking produced the opposite pattern. Reaction times on the color-word Stroop task were shorter after meditation with reduced total hemoglobin, which the authors interpret as improved performance and efficiency in attention-related tasks associated with prefrontal activation. |
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging studies state that meditation increases regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The present study employed functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate the relative hemodynamic changes in PFC during a cognitive task. Twenty-two healthy male volunteers with ages between 18 and 30 years (group mean age ± SD; 22.9 ± 4.6 years) performed a color-word stroop task before and after 20 min of meditation and random thinking. Repeated measures ANOVA was performed followed by a post hoc analysis with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons between the mean values of "During" and "Post" with "Pre" state. During meditation there was an increased in oxy-hemoglobin (ΔHbO) and total hemoglobin (ΔTHC) concentration with reduced deoxy-hemoglobin (ΔHbR) concentration over the right prefrontal cortex (rPFC), whereas in random thinking there was increased ΔHbR with reduced total hemoglobin concentration on the rPFC. The mean reaction time (RT) was shorter during stroop color word task with concomitant reduction in ΔTHC after meditation, suggestive of improved performance and efficiency in task related to attention. Our findings demonstrated that meditation increased cerebral oxygenation and enhanced performance, which was associated with activation of the PFC.
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
Cited by 24
- Om chanting modulates the processing of negative stimuli: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence Frontiers in Psychology October 13, 2022
- Prefrontal cortical hemodynamics and functional network organization during Tai Chi standing meditation: an fNIRS study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience October 25, 2023
- Meditation-Induced Psychosis: Trigger and Recurrence Case Reports in Psychiatry August 13, 2021
- Yogic Concepts of Holistic Health and Wellness Journal of Advanced Research in Ayurveda Yoga Unani Sidhha & Homeopathy July 2, 2018
- Improving Prefrontal Oxygenation and Cardiac Autonomic Activity Following Meditation: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Study. Cureus August 1, 2024
and 19 more in the library
Cites 36
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
and 31 more in the library