Mindfulness meditation alters neural activity underpinning working memory during tactile distraction
Michael Yufeng Wang, Gabrielle Freedman, Kavya Raj, Bernadette Mary Fitzgibbon, Caley M. Sullivan, Wei-Lin Tan, Nicholas T. van Dam, Paul Bernard Fitzgerald, Neil Wayne Bailey
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) October 2, 2019 preprint DOI: 10.1101/790584 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | 33 meditators and 27 healthy controls |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Measures | P300, alpha activity |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Meditators showed a more frontal distribution of P300 activity following working memory stimuli and greater modulation of parietal-occipital alpha activity between single and dual task demands compared with controls, and performed more accurately on the working memory task. The authors suggest these patterns indicate greater attentional resources dedicated to task-related functions in meditators. |
Abstract
Abstract Evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation (MM) improves selective attention and reduces distractibility by enhancing top-down neural modulation. Altered P300 and alpha neural activity from MM have been identified and may reflect the neural changes that underpin these improvements. Given the proposed role of alpha activity in supressing processing of task-irrelevant information, it is theorised that altered alpha activity may underlie increased availability of neural resources in meditators. The present study investigated attentional function in meditators using a cross-modal study design, examining the P300 during working memory (WM) and alpha activity during concurrent distracting tactile stimuli. Thirty-three meditators and 27 healthy controls participated in the study. Meditators showed a more frontal distribution of P300 neural activity following WM stimuli (p = 0.005, η² = 0.060) and more modulation of alpha activity at parietal-occipital regions between single (tactile stimulation only) and dual task demands (tactile stimulation plus WM task) (p < 0.001, η² = 0.065). Additionally, meditators performed more accurately than controls (p = 0.038, η² = 0.067). The altered distribution of neural activity concurrent with improved WM performance suggests greater attentional resources dedicated to task related functions such as WM in meditators. Thus, meditation-related neural changes are likely multi-faceted involving both altered distribution and also amplitudes of brain activity, enhancing attentional processes depending on task requirements.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 30
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
and 25 more in the library