Towards a refined mindfulness model related to consciousness and based on ERP
Charles Verdonk, Marion Trousselard, Frédéric Canini, François Vialatte
PsyArXiv March 9, 2020 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/d5s7w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Measures | Event Related Potential (ERP) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Across 29 ERP articles, the neural features of mindfulness were consistently associated with self-regulation of attention and, in most cases, with reduced reactivity to emotional stimuli and improved cognitive control; no studies of body awareness were identified. The authors propose a unified mechanistic model in which mindfulness decreases the threshold of conscious access. |
Abstract
Neuroimaging, behavioral and self-report evidence suggests that there are four main cognitive mechanisms that support mindfulness: 1) self-regulation of attention, 2) improved body awareness, 3) improved emotion regulation, and 4) change in perspective on the self. The current paper discusses these mechanisms, based on studies of Event Related Potential (ERP). We review the ERP literature related to mindfulness and examine a dataset of 29 articles. Our findings show that the neural features of mindfulness are consistently associated with the self-regulation of attention and, in most cases, reduced reactivity to emotional stimuli and improved cognitive control. On the other hand, there appear to be no studies of body awareness. We link these electrophysiological findings to models of consciousness, and introduce a unified, mechanistic mindfulness model. The main idea in this refined model is that mindfulness decreases the threshold of conscious access. We end with several working hypotheses that could direct future mindfulness research, and clarify our results.
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
Cites 40
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems Nature Reviews Neuroscience April 20, 2016
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
and 35 more in the library