Plasticity of visual attention in Isha yoga meditation practitioners before and after a 3-month retreat.
Claire Braboszcz, B Rael Cahn, Bhavani Balakrishnan, Raj K. Maturi, Romain Grandchamp, Arnaud Delorme
Frontiers in Psychology 2013 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00914 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 82 |
| Population | Isha yoga practitioners |
| Intervention | Isha yoga meditation |
| Duration | 3-month intensive retreat |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Stroop task Attentional blink Global-local task |
| Key findings | After a 3-month intensive meditation retreat, Isha yoga practitioners showed increased accuracy to incongruent Stroop stimuli and reduced attentional blink, but results do not clearly support or reject meditation-driven attentional plasticity. |
Abstract
Meditation has lately received considerable interest from cognitive neuroscience. Studies suggest that daily meditation leads to long lasting attentional and neuronal plasticity. We present changes related to the attentional systems before and after a 3 month intensive meditation retreat. We used three behavioral psychophysical tests - a Stroop task, an attentional blink task, and a global-local letter task-to assess the effect of Isha yoga meditation on attentional resource allocation. 82 Isha yoga practitioners were tested at the beginning and at the end of the retreat. Our results showed an increase in correct responses specific to incongruent stimuli in the Stroop task. Congruently, a positive correlation between previous meditation experience and accuracy to incongruent Stroop stimuli was also observed at baseline. We also observed a reduction of the attentional blink. Unexpectedly, a negative correlation between previous meditation experience and attentional blink performance at baseline was observed. Regarding spatial attention orientation as assessed using the global-local letter task, participants showed a bias toward local processing. Only slight differences in performance were found pre- vs. post- meditation retreat. Biasing toward the local stimuli in the global-local task and negative correlation of previous meditation experience with attentional blink performance is consistent with Isha practices being focused-attention practices. Given the relatively small effect sizes and the absence of a control group, our results do not allow clear support nor rejection of the hypothesis of meditation-driven neuronal plasticity in the attentional system for Isha yoga practice.
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 11
- Open and Calm – A randomized controlled trial evaluating a public stress reduction program in Denmark BMC Public Health December 1, 2015
- Isha Yoga Practices and Participation in Samyama Program are Associated with Reduced HbA1C and Systemic Inflammation, Improved Lipid Profile, and Short-Term and Sustained Improvement in Mental Health: A Prospective Observational Study of Meditators Frontiers in Psychology May 19, 2021
- Editorial: What can Neuroscience Learn from Contemplative Practices? Frontiers in Psychology November 10, 2015
- A Systematic Review of a Polyvagal Perspective on Embodied Contemplative Practices as Promoters of Cardiorespiratory Coupling and Traumatic Stress Recovery for PTSD and OCD: Research Methodologies and State of the Art International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health November 1, 2021
- Attention and meditative development: A review and synthesis of long-term meditators and outlook for the study of advanced meditation. Neuroimage November 19, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 18
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- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Mindfulness‐based stress reduction and attentional control Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy November 1, 2007
- Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1989
- Meditation alters perceptual rivalry in Tibetan Buddhist monks Current Biology June 1, 2005
and 13 more in the library