Patterns of EEG coherence, power, and contingent negative variation characterize the integration of transcendental and waking states.
Fred Travis, Joe Tecce, Alarik Arenander, R Keith Wallace
Biological Psychology November 2002 DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0511(02)00048-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational EEG study with comparison groups Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Long-term meditating subjects reporting integration of transcendental experiences with waking and sleeping, plus two comparison groups |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Measures | EEG (contingent negative variation (CNV), 6-12 Hz EEG amplitude, broadband frontal EEG coherence) |
| Key findings | Long-term meditators reporting that transcendental experiences coexist with waking and sleeping showed higher CNV in simple trials but lower CNV in choice trials, and higher 6-12 Hz EEG amplitude and broadband frontal coherence during choice trials, compared with two comparison groups. The authors suggest meditation-related EEG patterns became a stable trait and may underlie the inverse CNV patterns; they propose an 'Integration Scale' from these cortical measures. |
Abstract
Long-term meditating subjects report that transcendental experiences (TE), which first occurred during their Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice, now subjectively co-exist with waking and sleeping states. To investigate neurophysiological correlates of this integrated state, we recorded EEG in these subjects and in two comparison groups during simple and choice contingent negative variation (CNV) tasks. In individuals reporting the integration of the transcendent with waking and sleeping, CNV was higher in simple but lower in choice trials, and 6-12 Hz EEG amplitude and broadband frontal EEG coherence were higher during choice trials. Increased EEG amplitude and coherence, characteristic of TM practice, appeared to become a stable EEG trait during CNV tasks in these subjects. These significant EEG differences may underlie the inverse patterns in CNV amplitude seen between groups. An 'Integration Scale,' constructed from these cortical measures, may characterize the transformation in brain dynamics corresponding to increasing integration of the transcendent with waking and sleeping.
Citations in the library
Cited by 62
- Neural correlates of nondual awareness in meditation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014
- Toward a unifying taxonomy and definition for meditation Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science PLoS One November 7, 2018
- Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Stress, Depression, and Burnout: A Randomized Controlled Study The Permanente Journal January 30, 2014
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