Theta bursts: an EEG pattern in normal subjects practising the transcendental meditation technique.
R Hebert, D Lehmann
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology March 1977 DOI: 10.1016/0013-4694(77)90176-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study (EEG survey with non-meditating controls) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 132 |
| Population | 78 people practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique and 54 non-meditating controls |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation technique |
| Measures | EEG |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Intermittent frontally dominant theta bursts occurred in 21 of 78 Transcendental Meditation practitioners but in none of 54 non-meditating controls during relaxation and sleep onset. Bursts averaged about every 2 minutes, lasted 1.8 seconds, and reached 135 microvolts maximal amplitude, typically flanked by alpha rhythm. The authors hypothesize the bursts may manifest a state-adjustment mechanism during prolonged low-arousal states. |
Abstract
In a survey of the EEG characteristics of persons practising the Transcendental Meditation technique, 21 of 78 people demonstrated intermittent prominent bursts of frontally dominant theta activity. On the average across subjects, the theta bursts occurred about every 2 min, had an average duration of 1.8 sec, and an average maximal amplitude of 135 muV. Typically, the bursts were preceded and followed by alpha rhythm. Subject reports elicited during theta bursts indicated pleasant states with intact situational orientation and no subjective experiences related to sleep. Fifty-four non-meditating controls showed no theta bursts during relaxation and sleep onset. It is hypothesized that theta burst may be the manifestation of a state adjustment mechanism which comes into play during prolonged low-arousal states, and which may be related to EEG patterns of relaxation in certain behavioural conditions.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 50
- Psychobiology of Altered States of Consciousness. Psychological Bulletin 2005
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
- Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging November 1, 2001
- Alterations in the sense of time, space and body in the Mindfulness-trained brain: A neurophenomenologically-guided MEG study Frontiers in Psychology May 22, 2014
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
and 45 more in the library
Cites 4
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- MYSTICAL STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1972
- Transcendental Meditation and Psychological Health Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1974
- Sleep During Transcendental Meditation Science January 23, 1976