Neurophysiological Effects of Meditation Based on Evoked and Event Related Potential Recordings.
Nilkamal Singh, Shirley Telles
BioMed Research International June 7, 2015 DOI: 10.1155/2015/406261 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Electroencephalography Emotions Attention Evoked potentials, auditory Evoked potentials, visual |
| Key findings | Across eleven EP and seventeen ERP studies from 1978 to 2014, the largest meditation-related changes occurred in mid-latency auditory evoked potentials, which the authors suggest implicates the thalamus, thalamic radiations, and primary auditory cortex. The authors conclude that meditation can increase attention, enhance the efficiency of brain resource allocation, and support greater emotional control. |
Abstract
Evoked potentials (EPs) are a relatively noninvasive method to assess the integrity of sensory pathways. As the neural generators for most of the components are relatively well worked out, EPs have been used to understand the changes occurring during meditation. Event-related potentials (ERPs) yield useful information about the response to tasks, usually assessing attention. A brief review of the literature yielded eleven studies on EPs and seventeen on ERPs from 1978 to 2014. The EP studies covered short, mid, and long latency EPs, using both auditory and visual modalities. ERP studies reported the effects of meditation on tasks such as the auditory oddball paradigm, the attentional blink task, mismatched negativity, and affective picture viewing among others. Both EP and ERPs were recorded in several meditations detailed in the review. Maximum changes occurred in mid latency (auditory) EPs suggesting that maximum changes occur in the corresponding neural generators in the thalamus, thalamic radiations, and primary auditory cortical areas. ERP studies showed meditation can increase attention and enhance efficiency of brain resource allocation with greater emotional control.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- EEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics during Meditation: Progress and Challenges Advances in Preventive Medicine 2015
- Interpretability of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Brain Processes Followed by Mindfulness Intervention in a Brain-Inspired Spiking Neural Network Architecture Sensors December 21, 2020
- Meditation in the third-person perspective modulates minimal self and heartbeat-evoked potentials. Neuroimage July 1, 2025
- Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Event-Related Potentials (P3) and Depressive Symptoms in Oncological Patients. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2024
- Meditation is an Integral Part of Yoga International Journal of Yoga September 1, 2023
and 5 more in the library
Cites 22
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
- Theta Phase Synchrony and Conscious Target Perception: Impact of Intensive Mental Training Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience September 29, 2008
- Manipulating attention via mindfulness induction improves P300-based brain–computer interface performance Journal of Neural Engineering March 24, 2011
- Long Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials during Meditation Clinical EEG and Neuroscience October 1, 2015
and 17 more in the library