RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Experienced meditators show greater forward travelling cortical alpha wave strengths
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2024.06.09.598110
DO 10.1101/2024.06.09.598110
A1 Bailey, Neil W
A1 Hill, Aron T
A1 Godfrey, Kate
A1 Perera, M. Prabhavi N.
A1 Hohwy, Jakob
A1 Corcoran, Andrew W.
A1 Rogasch, Nigel C.
A1 Fitzgibbon, Bernadette M.
A1 Fitzgerald, Paul B
YR 2024
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2024/06/09/2024.06.09.598110.abstract
AB Mindfulness meditation involves training attention, commonly towards the current sensory experience, with an attitude of non-judgemental awareness. Theoretical perspectives suggest meditation alters the brain’s predictive processing mechanisms, increasing the synaptic gain and precision with which sensory information is processed, and reducing the generation or elaboration of higher-order beliefs. Recent research suggests that forwards and backwards travelling cortical alpha waves provide an indication of these predictive processing functions. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to test whether the strength of forwards and backwards travelling cortical alpha waves differed between experienced meditators and a matched sample of non-meditators, both during an eyes-closed resting state (N = 97) and during a visual cognitive (Go/No-go) task (N = 126). Our results showed that meditators produced stronger forwards travelling cortical alpha waves compared to non-meditators, both while resting with their eyes closed and during task performance. Meditators also exhibited weaker backwards travelling cortical alpha wave strength while resting with their eyes closed. These results may be indicative of a neural mechanism underpinning enhanced attention associated with meditation practice, as well as a potential neural marker of the reductions in resting mind-wandering that are suggested to be associated with meditation practice. The results also support models of brain function that suggest attention modification can be achieved by mental training aimed at increased processing of sensory information, which might be indexed by greater strength of forwards travelling cortical alpha waves.Competing Interest StatementIn the last 3 years PBF has received equipment for research from Neurosoft and Nexstim. He has served on a scientific advisory board for Magstim and received speaker fees from Otsuka. He has also acted as a founder and board member for TMS Clinics Australia and Resonance Therapeutics. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.