title: Meditation and attention: A controlled study on long-term meditators in behavioral performance and event-related potentials of attentional control.
abstract: Meditation practice involves attention regulation, and thus is thought to facilitate attention control mechanisms. Studies on meditation techniques using a behavioral measurement of the Attention Network Test (ANT) have shown enhanced attention control, but neural features remain unknown. In the present study, event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral data from twenty long-term meditators were examined, compared to data obtained from twenty matched controls. Results showed that meditators made fewer error responses than controls, especially during the incongruent target condition, suggesting higher accuracy in executive attention control among meditators. The P3 amplitude in the parietal area remained constant in the congruent and incongruent target conditions among meditators, indicating a higher parietal P3 amplitude during the incongruent target condition relative to matched controls. The findings that meditators exhibited fewer error responses on the ANT and a lack of parietal P3 modulation irrespective of reaction time are discussed in the context of attentional resource allocation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Han-Gue
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany; Institute of Transcultural Health Studies, European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. Electronic address: stefan.schmidt@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Inacker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markowiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Medical Center Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hinterberger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Attention Network Test; Electroencephalogram; Event-related potential; Meditation; P3