Resting state dynamics in people with varying degrees of anxiety and mindfulness: A nonlinear and nonstationary perspective.
Satish Jaiswal, Shi-Lin Huang, C. Juan, Norden E. Huang, Wei-Kuang Liang
Neuroscience March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.03.012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Randomized Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Adults grouped by trait anxiety and trait mindfulness scores into low mindfulness-high anxiety (n = 29) and high mindfulness-low anxiety (n = 27) |
| Duration | 6 minutes of resting EEG recording |
| Measures | resting state electroencephalography (EEG), Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis, Holo-Hilbert cross-frequency phase clustering (HHCFPC) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | People with low mindfulness and high anxiety showed higher resting-state EEG power in delta and theta frequencies than people with high mindfulness and low anxiety, and anxiety rather than mindfulness was a significant predictor of EEG power. The high-anxiety group also showed greater delta-beta and delta-gamma cross-frequency coupling, which the authors interpret as greater local-global neural integration and stronger cortex-limbic functional association. |
Abstract
Anxiety and mindfulness are two inversely linked traits shown to be involved in various physiological domains. The current study used resting state electroencephalography (EEG) to explore differences between people with low mindfulness-high anxiety (LMHA) (n = 29) and high mindfulness-low anxiety (HMLA) (n = 27). The resting EEG was collected for a total of 6 minutes, with a randomized sequence of eyes closed and eyes opened conditions. Two advanced EEG analysis methods, Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis and Holo-Hilbert cross-frequency phase clustering (HHCFPC) were employed to estimate the power-based amplitude modulation of carrier frequencies, and cross-frequency coupling between low and high frequencies, respectively. The presence of higher oscillation power across the delta and theta frequencies in the LMHA group than the HMLA group might have been due to the similarity between the resting state and situations of uncertainty, which reportedly triggers motivational and emotional arousal. Although these two groups were formed based on their trait anxiety and trait mindfulness scores, it was anxiety that was found to be significant predictor of the EEG power, not mindfulness. It led us to conclude that it might be anxiety, not mindfulness, which might have contributed to higher electrophysiological arousal. Additionally, a higher δ-β and δ-γ CFC in LMHA suggested greater local-global neural integration, consequently a greater functional association between cortex and limbic system than in the HMLA group. The present cross-sectional study may guide future longitudinal studies on anxiety aiming with interventions such as mindfulness to characterize the individuals based on their resting state physiology.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Mindfulness-Based Intervention Effects on EEG and Executive Functions: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences March 20, 2025
- Investigating the Effect of the 6-Week Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Emerging Adults (EYL) on Stress Response, Brain Activity, and Self-Compassion Among Chinese University Students: An Electroencephalogram (EEG) Quasi-experimental Study Using Portable EEG Headband. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback April 21, 2026
- Quantifying consciousness through intrinsic probability density function. Biological Psychology September 1, 2025
Cites 19
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- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- The toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation Journal of Clinical Psychology 2006
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
and 14 more in the library