Dynamic correlations between heart and brain rhythm during Autogenic meditation
Daekeun Kim, K. Lee, Jongwha Kim, Min-Cheol Whang, Seung Wan Kang
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 31, 2013 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00414 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Autogenic meditation |
| Duration | 8 weeks of training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Heart coherence, relative EEG alpha power, and alpha lagged coherence all increased significantly during autogenic meditation, and parietal peak alpha frequency slowed. During meditation, parietal peak alpha power and average alpha lagged coherence rose with increasing heart coherence; these relationships were absent or weak at baseline. The authors argue heart coherence may serve as a cardiac marker of the meditative state and that heart-brain synchrony could aid recovery from homeostatic depletion. |
Abstract
This study is aimed to determine significant physiological parameters of brain and heart under meditative state, both in each activities and their dynamic correlations. Electrophysiological changes in response to meditation were explored in 12 healthy volunteers who completed 8 weeks of a basic training course in autogenic meditation. Heart coherence, representing the degree of ordering in oscillation of heart rhythm intervals, increased significantly during meditation. Relative EEG alpha power and alpha lagged coherence also increased. A significant slowing of parietal peak alpha frequency was observed. Parietal peak alpha power increased with increasing heart coherence during meditation, but no such relationship was observed during baseline. Average alpha lagged coherence also increased with increasing heart coherence during meditation, but weak opposite relationship was observed at baseline. Relative alpha power increased with increasing heart coherence during both meditation and baseline periods. Heart coherence can be a cardiac marker for the meditative state and also may be a general marker for the meditative state since heart coherence is strongly correlated with EEG alpha activities. It is expected that increasing heart coherence and the accompanying EEG alpha activations, heart brain synchronicity, would help recover physiological synchrony following a period of homeostatic depletion.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Autonomic nervous system modulation during self-induced non-ordinary states of consciousness Scientific Reports September 22, 2023
- Lightening the mind with audiovisual stimulation as an accessible alternative to breath-focused meditation for mood and cognitive enhancement. Scientific Reports October 26, 2024
- Assisting focused attention meditation through EEG-based alpha-theta cross-frequency neurofeedback medRxiv September 6, 2024
- Lightening the Mind: Comparing Audiovisual Stimulation and Meditation for Mood and Cognition Enhancement Research Square March 14, 2024
- Neurophysiological and autonomic patterns associated with heartfulness and bell meditation: a three-arm exploratory study. Frontiers in Psychology 2026
and 11 more in the library
Cites 22
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
- Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 17 more in the library