Electroencephalography-Based Measures to Understand Meditation and Mindfulness: Bibliometric Scoping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Yan Ma, Wilfred Wing Fung Sin, Kristen M. Kraemer, Jojo Yan Yan Kwok, EunMee Yang, Kyeongwon Kim, Macy Randolph, Helen Horan, Janet M Mullington, Peter M. Wayne, Gloria Y Yeh
Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2026 DOI: 10.1177/27536130261478126 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Bibliometric scoping review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Published randomized controlled trials of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions with EEG-based measures |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | EEG Electroencephalography Event-related-potential Neurophysiological dynamics Randomized controlled trial |
| Key findings | Identified 142 eligible RCTs from 31 countries, with 63.4% involving healthy participants and over half published in the past five years. The review found significant heterogeneity across study populations, designs, and outcomes, indicating that further systematic reviews and meta-analyses are not yet feasible and require additional original studies. |
Abstract
Despite the dramatic growth in the number of clinical trials of meditation and/or mindfulness-based interventions (MMBIs), most trials focus on self-reported or psychological outcomes, less is known about the potential neuroplastic effects of MMBI practice and benefits for brain health. In this review, we aimed to map the extent and nature of existing research on this topic, identify subdomains, and determine the feasibility of conducting further systematic reviews. We conducted a bibliometric scoping review and summarized characteristics of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with electroencephalography (EEG)-based measures for MMBIs, including publication year, country, participant characteristics, sample size, trial arms, intervention duration and components, EEG experimental design, and reported EEG-based outcomes. From 3401 retrieved publications through a systematic search, we identified 142 eligible publications from 31 countries. More than half (54.6%) were published in the past five years. Ninety studies (63.4%) included healthy participants. Clinical conditions varied, but the majority included psychiatric/mental disorders, followed by pain or substance use, neurological disorders, sleep disturbances or insomnia, cancer/tumor, and age-related cognitive decline. Most studies focused on cognitive function/performance, memory/learning, executive function, attention/vigilance, sensory/perception, emotional/affective, or distress/stress. The two main types of EEG assessments were spectral analysis and measures from event-related potential. Despite the large number of RCTs on MMBIs with EEG outcomes, our synthesis shows significant heterogeneity in study populations, research aims, experimental designs, performed tasks, and reported outcomes. Further systematic reviews and meta-analyses will require accumulation of additional original studies to allow a meaningful focus on specific topics with sufficient amount of evidence. Future research examining neuroplastic effects of MMBI practice utilizing objective physiological EEG-based measures are warranted and encouraged to advance the mind-body field.