Exploring the relationship between mindfulness, prefrontal gamma activity, and working memory performance
Rabin Vanda, Meiron Oded, Nira Mashal
Current Psychology September 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-026-10007-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Adults including 25 mindfulness practitioners and 25 non-practitioners matched for age and education |
| Measures | overall accuracy, hits, correct rejections, reaction times (RTs) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness practitioners showed significantly higher working memory accuracy, including more hits and correct rejections, than non-practitioners, with no group differences in reaction times or gamma activity. Group membership and gamma activity during retention intervals predicted accuracy across all participants. |
Abstract
Abstract The current study examined the relationship between mindfulness practice, working memory performance, and frontal gamma neural-oscillatory activity. Fifty adults participated, including 25 mindfulness practitioners and 25 non-practitioners matched for age and education. Participants completed a working memory task while their scalp electroencephalography (EEG) was noted, and quantitative EEG (qEEG) features were captured during specific WM events and resting periods. Behavioral outcome measures included overall accuracy, hits, correct rejections, and reaction times (RTs). Mindfulness practitioners demonstrated significantly higher overall accuracy, including higher percentages of hits and correct rejections compared to control group (non-practitioners), however, no group differences were observed in RTs and gamma activity. Regression analyses indicated that group membership and WM-related gamma activity (retention intervals prior to correct response) were significant predictors of accuracy across all participants. These findings suggest that ongoing mindfulness practice may improve working memory functioning by increased WM event-related gamma activity during WM retention intervals. Practical implications may include incorporating mindfulness-based interventions in educational, clinical, occupational, and behavioral research settings to develop innovative cross-modality treatment approaches to promote attentional control and WM functioning in humans.
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
Cites 6
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
and 1 more in the library