Effects of the Automatic Self-Transcending Meditation on cognition and mental states in the EEG, skin conductance and behavioral performance: a pilot study
Lucas Galdino, Gabriella Medeiros Silva, Thiago A. S. Bonifácio, Natanael Antonio Dos Santos, David W. Orme-Johnson
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Pilot study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Three healthy AST meditation volunteers (ages 26, 39, and 59 years; meditation practice of 2 months, 6 years, and 40 years) |
| Intervention | Automatic Self-Transcending (AST) meditation |
| Duration | 20 minutes of AST meditation in each study; no follow-up period stated |
| Measures | P300 amplitude and latency, Stroop test behavioral response, skin conductance activity, frontal interhemispheric coherence of alpha1 (8-10 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) bands |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that AST meditation produces an immediate effect on cognition and executive control, that frontal interhemispheric coherence in alpha1 and beta bands increases during AST compared with other mental states, and that wireless EEG captures the same cortical dynamics as traditional EEG during AST. |
Abstract
Abstract: The main purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the immediate effects of Automatic Self-Transcending (AST) meditation on the cognitive function, EEG activity and autonomic arousal (Study 1) and characterize the frontal EEG synchrony during resting state, cognitive activity and AST mental states in traditional and wireless EEG’s (Study 2). We report the results of three healthy AST meditation volunteers in this case-report study (Case 1 - age = 26 years, meditative practice time = 2 months; Case 2 - age = 39 years, meditative practice time = 6 years; Case 3 - age = 59 years, meditative practice time = 40 years). In study 1, the volunteers performed a protocol with simultaneous recording of EEG and skin conductance while performing the Stroop test (T0), followed by 20 minutes of AST meditation and immediately the same protocol performed at T0 (T1). We analyzed P300 amplitude and latency, as well as test behavioral response and skin conductance activity before and immediately after a single session of AST. In study 2, the same volunteers performed three tasks with eyes closed on two EEG equipment (traditional and wireless): resting state, cognitive activity and one session of AST, each for 20 minutes. We measured the frontal interhemispheric coherence of alpha1 (8-10 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) for each condition and EEG type. Our main findings show that there is an immediate beneficial effect after AST meditation at the level of the same individual with different patterns of P300 and skin conductance activity and that AST meditation is marked by an overall increase in the frontal coherence of alpha1 and beta bands, when compared to other mental states. We conclude that 1) there is an immediate effect on cognition and executive control after AST meditation, 2) the frontal interhemispheric coherence of alpha1 and beta bands are increased during AST, and 3) wireless EEG exhibits the same characteristics observed in traditional EEG and therefore can be used to describe cortical dynamics during AST.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- Toward a unifying taxonomy and definition for meditation Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Stress, Depression, and Burnout: A Randomized Controlled Study The Permanente Journal January 30, 2014
- Short-Term Longitudinal Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on EEG Power and Coherence International Journal of Neuroscience 1981
- On the Neurobiology of Meditation: Comparison of Three Organizing Strategies to Investigate Brain Patterns during Meditation Practice Medicina December 18, 2020
- Transcendental Meditation in the Treatment of Mental and Physical Conditions The Oxford Handbook of Meditation December 15, 2020
and 9 more in the library