title: Electroencephalographic correlates of states of concentrative meditation.
abstract: Meditative techniques aim for and meditators report states of mental alertness and focus, concurrent with physical and emotional calm. We aimed to determine the electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of five states of Buddhist concentrative meditation, particularly addressing a correlation with meditative level. We studied 12 meditators and 12 pair-matched meditation-naïve participants using high-resolution scalp-recorded EEG. To maximise reduction of EMG, data were pre-processed using independent component analysis and surface Laplacian transformed data. Two non-meditative and five meditative states were used: resting baseline, mind-wandering, absorptions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (corresponding to four levels of absorption and an absorption with a different object of focus, otherwise equivalent to level 4; these five meditative states produce repeatable, distinctly different experiences for experienced meditators). The experimental protocol required participants to experience the states in the order listed above, followed immediately by the reverse. We then calculated EEG power in standard frequency bands from 1 to 80Hz. We observed decreases of central scalp beta (13-25Hz), and central low gamma (25-48Hz) power in meditators during deeper absorptions. In contrast, we identified increases in frontal midline and temporo-parietal theta power in meditators, again, during deeper absorptions. Alpha activity was increased over all meditative states, not depth-related. This study demonstrates that the subjective experiences of deepening meditation partially correspond to measures of EEG. Our results are in accord with prior studies on non-graded meditative states. These results are also consistent with increased theta correlating with tightness of focus, and reduced beta/gamma with the desynchronization associated with enhanced alertness.
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Centre for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia. Electronic address: Dylan.DeLosAngeles@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Dylan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DeLosAngeles
authors.affiliation: Lifeflow Meditation Centre, 8/259 Glen Osmond Rd, Frewville, South Australia 5063, Australia.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Lifeflow Meditation Centre, 8/259 Glen Osmond Rd, Frewville, South Australia 5063, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burston
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Oxford Centre for FMRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbon
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Trent W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Centre for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Tyler S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Grummett
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Brain Health Clinics, GPO Box 6121, Halifax St, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: C Richard
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Willoughby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001611:Beta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D002016:Buddhism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D065818:Gamma Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Absorptions; Buddhist meditation; Focused attention; Independent component analysis; Principal component analysis; Spectral analysis