Title Entrainment of chaotic activities in brain and heart during MBSR
Chunqi Changd
2016
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational longitudinal study |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week MBSR training course |
| Measures | EEG spectrum analysis, wavelet entropy (WE), heart rate |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that during MBSR meditation, alpha and beta EEG power increased while delta power decreased relative to rest, and wavelet entropy indicated reduced chaotic activity in both EEG and heart rate. They argue that brain and heart chaotic activities became more coordinated during MBSR training, suggesting mindfulness training may increase mind-body entrainment, while noting that longer training may be needed for lasting trait changes. |
Abstract
The activities of the brain and the heart are dynamic, chaotic, and possibly intrinsically coordinated. This study aims to investigate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on the chaoticity of electronic activities of the brain and the heart, and to explore their potential correlation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded at the beginning of an 8-week standard MBSR training course and after the course. EEG spectrum analysis was carried out, wavelet entropies (WE) of EEG (together with reconstructed cortical sources) and heart rate were calculated, and their correlation was investigated. We found enhancement of EEG power of alpha and beta waves and lowering of delta waves power during MBSR training state as compared to normal resting state. Wavelet entropy analysis indicated that MBSR mindfulness meditation could reduce the chaotic activities of both avelet entropy ource analysis rain–heart coordination EEG and heart rate as a change of state. However, longitudinal change of trait may need more long-term training. For the first time, our data demonstrated that the chaotic activities of the brain and the heart became more coordinated during MBSR training, suggesting that mindfulness training may increase the entrainment between mind and body. The 3D brain regions involved in the change in mental states were identified. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC
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 |