Alterations in auditory middle latency evoked potentials during meditation on a meaningful symbol--"Om".
Shirley Telles, R Nagarathna, Hr Nagendra, T Desiraju
International Journal of Neuroscience May 1994 DOI: 10.3109/00207459408985995 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 18 |
| Population | 18 male volunteers aged 25-45; 9 with more than 10 years of "Om" meditation experience (senior subjects) and 9 with no meditation experience (naive subjects) |
| Interventions | Mentally chanting "Om" mentally repeating "one" |
| Duration | 20-minute sessions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Experienced "Om" meditators showed a significant increase in Na wave peak amplitude during 20 minutes of mentally chanting "Om" and a significant decrease during mentally repeating "one," while naive subjects showed the reverse pattern (significant decrease during "Om," nonsignificant decrease during "one"). The authors suggest both practices cause neural changes at the same level, possibly diencephalic, but in opposite directions, possibly related to meditation experience duration. |
Abstract
Middle latency auditory evoked potentials were recorded in 18 male volunteers with ages between 25 and 45 years, 9 of whom had more than 10 years of experience in "Om" meditation (senior subjects), whereas the other 9 had no meditation experience (naive subjects). Both groups were studied in two types of sessions. (1) Before, during, and after 20 minutes of mentally repeating "one" (control session), and (2) a similar session, though with 20 minutes of mentally chanting "Om" (meditation session). The senior subjects showed a statistically significant (paired t-test) increase in the peak amplitude of Na wave (the maximum negative peak between 14 and 18 ms) during meditation, while the same subjects showed a statistically significant reduction in the Na wave peak amplitude during control sessions. In contrast, the naive subjects had a significant decrease in the Na wave peak amplitude during meditation sessions and a nonsignificant trend of reduction during control sessions, as well. This difference between senior and naive subjects was significant (two-way ANOVA). There were no significant changes in short latency wave V or Pa wave (the positive peak between the Na wave and 35 ms). The changes in the Na wave suggest that both mediation on a meaningful symbol, and mental repetition of a neutral word cause neural changes at the same level (possibly diencephalic). However, the change could be in opposite directions, and this difference could be correlated with differences in the duration of experience in meditation between senior and naive subjects.
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 15
- Neurological Responses to Meditation with EEG Analysis Using Novel Empirical Fourier-Bessel Decomposition Approach International Computer Science Conference February 20, 2025
- A global research trend in AUM meditation: A bibliometric analysis of past five decades Yoga Mimamsa January 12, 2023
- Immediate Effects of OM Chanting on Heart Rate Variability Measures Compared Between Experienced and Inexperienced Yoga Practitioners. International Journal of Yoga 2022
- A Critical Analysis on Characterizing the Meditation Experience Through the Electroencephalogram Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience August 7, 2020
- SVM classification of EEG signal to analyze the effect of OM Mantra meditation on the brain IEEE India Conference December 1, 2019
and 10 more in the library