Electroencephalographic findings during mantra meditation (transcendental meditation). A controlled, quantitative study of experienced meditators.
B Stigsby, J C Rodenberg, H B Moth
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology April 1, 1981 DOI: 10.1016/0013-4694(81)90107-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 26 |
| Population | Experienced practitioners of transcendental meditation and matched healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Transcendental meditation |
| Duration | 5 minutes before, 20 minutes during, and 5 minutes after meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The EEG frequency spectrum during transcendental meditation was situated between wakefulness and drowsiness, with mean frequency about 1 c/sec slower than controls, and showed no consistent pattern associated with meditation success. |
Abstract
The EEGs of 13 experienced practitioners of transcendental meditation (TM) were recorded for 5 min preceding TM, during 20 min of TM and until 5 min after, as well as during closed-eyed wakefulness, drowsiness, sleep onset and sleep. Thirteen healthy volunteers matched for age served as control subjects. Computer period-amplitude analysis of F3-C3, T3-T5, P3-O1, F4-C4 and P4-O2 epochs of 50--100 sec duration resulted in a frequency and amplitude spectrum (0.5--28.6 c/sec), and the mean frequency and the mean voltage of each EEG lead. The EEG frequency spectra constituted a continuum with increasing theta and delta activity and decreasing alpha activity as the participants tended to fall asleep. The frequency spectrum during TM corresponded to a spectrum situated between that of wakefulness and drowsiness and remained virtually unchanged during the 20 min of meditation. The EEG mean frequency of the TM group was about 1 c/sec slower than that of the control group. Intra- or interhemispheric differences between quantities of EEG activity remained stable during TM, nor did we observe any theta bursts. There was no consistent EEG patter associated with a successful or unsuccessful meditation, nor did the EEGs of two meditators who stated they had felt drowsy during TM show a different pattern.
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 16
- Experienced Mindfulness Meditators Exhibit Higher Parietal-Occipital EEG Gamma Activity during NREM Sleep PLoS One August 28, 2013
- A Methodological Review of Meditation Research Frontiers in Psychiatry July 1, 2014
- EEG Alpha Blocking Correlated with Perception of Inner Light During Zen Meditation The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 2003
- Investigation of meditation scenario by quantifying the complexity index of EEG Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers April 1, 2007
- A Critical Analysis on Characterizing the Meditation Experience Through the Electroencephalogram Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience August 7, 2020
and 11 more in the library
Cites 6
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE ZEN MEDITATION (ZAZEN) Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 1966
- Sleep During Transcendental Meditation Science January 23, 1976
- Metabolic and EEG changes during transcendental meditation: an explanation. Biological Psychology June 1977
- Theta bursts: an EEG pattern in normal subjects practising the transcendental meditation technique. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology March 1977
and 1 more in the library