Effect of mindfulness meditation on brain-computer interface performance.
Lee-Fan Tan, Z. Dienes, A. Jansari, Sing-Yau Goh
Consciousness and Cognition 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 76 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation training Music training |
| Duration | 12 week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | After a 12-week intervention, participants randomly assigned to mindfulness meditation training showed significantly higher BCI accuracy than both a music training group and a no-treatment control group. Because meditation and music training had been matched for expectations of improvement in a norming study, the authors attribute the meditation group's advantage to effects beyond expectancy. |
Abstract
Electroencephalogram based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) enable stroke and motor neuron disease patients to communicate and control devices. Mindfulness meditation has been claimed to enhance metacognitive regulation. The current study explores whether mindfulness meditation training can thus improve the performance of BCI users. To eliminate the possibility of expectation of improvement influencing the results, we introduced a music training condition. A norming study found that both meditation and music interventions elicited clear expectations for improvement on the BCI task, with the strength of expectation being closely matched. In the main 12 week intervention study, seventy-six healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to three groups: a meditation training group; a music training group; and a no treatment control group. The mindfulness meditation training group obtained a significantly higher BCI accuracy compared to both the music training and no-treatment control groups after the intervention, indicating effects of meditation above and beyond expectancy effects.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Ability to Gain Control Over One’s Own Brain Activity and its Relation to Spiritual Practice: A Multimodal Imaging Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 24, 2017
- Novel machine learning-driven comparative analysis of CSP, STFT, and CSP-STFT fusion for EEG data classification across multiple meditation and non-meditation sessions in BCI pipeline Brain Informatics February 8, 2025
- Immediate effects of short-term meditation on sensorimotor rhythm-based brain–computer interface performance Frontiers in Human Neuroscience December 20, 2022
- Job Search during COVID-19: How Online Mindfulness Intervention helped to Reduce Stress and Enhance the Self-esteem of the Job Seeker F1000Research November 4, 2022
- Effects of Long-Term Meditation Practices on Sensorimotor Rhythm Based BCI Learning bioRxiv Preprint Server September 9, 2020
and 7 more in the library
Cites 18
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
and 13 more in the library