The effect of brief and focused mindfulness meditation on young adults using EEG approach with machine learning
Yongxin Luo, Yaoyao Zhang, Yuqing Zhai, Zhixiang Lu, Lujia Shou, Li Hu, Yu Chen, Wei He, Yue Qin, Nafisa Anwar, Zhongfu Zhang, Shutian Xu, Pingping Sun, Jianwei Lu
preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4962094/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post experimental study with machine learning classification of EEG data |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Participants undergoing brief mindfulness meditation training |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Brief focused mindfulness meditation was associated with reduced frontal delta activity and increased alpha, beta, and gamma activity, and frontal power spectral density correlated positively with heart-rate change. An LSTM classified meditation versus rest with 72.8% accuracy, outperforming CNN (64.1%) and MLP (62.4%). The authors suggest meditation may reduce anxiety and stress via a hypometabolic state and a tranquil but alert mind. |
Abstract
Abstract Our study seeks to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying brief mindfulness meditation through the utilization of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and machine learning techniques. Twenty-four participants underwent mindfulness training, with pre- and post-practice physiological assessments and EEG recordings. Deep learning was used to analyze EEG data to predict mindfulness states. Models like Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) classified meditation vs. rest, with LSTM achieving 72.8% accuracy, MLP 62.4%, and CNN 64.1%. In addition, EEG analysis revealed that reduced frontal delta activity and increased alpha, beta, and gamma activity during a brief and focused mindfulness meditation. The power spectral density (PSD) of focused mindfulness meditation state in the left (F7) and right frontal (F4, TP10) was positively correlated with difference in heart rate before and after meditation. Our results in EEG and physiological measurements suggested that brief and focused mindfulness meditation could reduce anxiety and stress by inducing a hypometabolic state of the body and a tranquil but alert state of the mind. The LSTM model is a reliable data-driven approach to predict the state of focused mindfulness meditation.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 24
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- Quantitative change of EEG and respiration signals during mindfulness meditation Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation May 14, 2014
- Mapping meditative states and stages with electrophysiology: concepts, classifications, and methods. Current Opinion in Psychology August 1, 2019
- Enhanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity With Decreased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations of the Salience Network in Mindfulness Novices Frontiers in Human Neuroscience March 3, 2022
and 19 more in the library