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Baths V, Jartarkar M, Sood S, Lewis AG, Ostarek M, Huettig F. Testing the involvement of low-level visual representations during spoken word processing with non-Western students and meditators practicing Sudarshan Kriya Yoga. Brain Res 2024; 1838:148993. [PMID: 38729334 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies, using the Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS) paradigm, observed that (Western) university students are better able to detect otherwise invisible pictures of objects when they are presented with the corresponding spoken word shortly before the picture appears. Here we attempted to replicate this effect with non-Western university students in Goa (India). A second aim was to explore the performance of (non-Western) meditators practicing Sudarshan Kriya Yoga in Goa in the same task. Some previous literature suggests that meditators may excel in some tasks that tap visual attention, for example by exercising better endogenous and exogenous control of visual awareness than non-meditators. The present study replicated the finding that congruent spoken cue words lead to significantly higher detection sensitivity than incongruent cue words in non-Western university students. Our exploratory meditator group also showed this detection effect but both frequentist and Bayesian analyses suggest that the practice of meditation did not modulate it. Overall, our results provide further support for the notion that spoken words can activate low-level category-specific visual features that boost the basic capacity to detect the presence of a visual stimulus that has those features. Further research is required to conclusively test whether meditation can modulate visual detection abilities in CFS and similar tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veeky Baths
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.
| | - Mayur Jartarkar
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India
| | - Shagun Sood
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India
| | - Ashley G Lewis
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Ostarek
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Falk Huettig
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Center for Cognitive Science, Kaiserslautern, Germany; University of Lisbon, Faculty of Psychology, Lisbon, Portugal
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2
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Qiu Y, Dou H, Wang J, Zhang H, Zhang S, Shen D, Li H, Lei Y. Reduced generalization of reward among individuals with subthreshold depression: Behavioral and EEG evidence. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 200:112339. [PMID: 38554769 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Altered stimulus generalization has been well-documented in anxiety disorders; however, there is a paucity of research investigating this phenomenon in the context of depression. Depression is characterized by impaired reward processing and heightened attention to negative stimuli. It is hypothesized that individuals with depression exhibit reduced generalization of reward stimuli and enhanced generalization of loss stimuli. Nevertheless, no study has examined this process and its underlying neural mechanisms. In the present study, we recruited 25 participants with subthreshold depression (SD group) and 24 age-matched healthy controls (HC group). Participants completed an acquisition task, in which they learned to associate three distinct pure tones (conditioned stimuli, CSs) with a reward, a loss, or no outcome. Subsequently, a generalization session was conducted, during which similar tones (generalization stimuli, GSs) were presented, and participants were required to classify them as a reward tone, a loss tone, or neither. The results revealed that the SD group exhibited reduced generalization errors in the early phase of generalization, suggesting a diminished ability to generalize reward-related stimuli. The event-related potential (ERP) results indicated that the SD group exhibited decreased generalization of positive valence to reward-related GSs and heightened generalization of negative valence to loss-related GSs, as reflected by the N1 and P2 components. However, the late positive potential (LPP) was not modulated by depression in reward generalization or loss generalization. These findings suggested that individuals with subthreshold depression may have a blunted or reduced ability to generalize reward stimuli, shedding light on potential treatment strategies targeting this particular process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Qiu
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Haoran Dou
- Institution for Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Jinxia Wang
- Institution for Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China; Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Huoyin Zhang
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Shiyunmeng Zhang
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Die Shen
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Hong Li
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for studies of Psychological Applications Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Educational Science, Ministry of Education School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| | - Yi Lei
- Institution for Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Center for Neurogenetics, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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Gu H, Liang T, Xin Z, Lu Z, Li Q, Hong H. Impact of Long-Term Shaolin Zen Meditation on Emotional Processing in Aging: A Visual ERP Study. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:513. [PMID: 37366765 DOI: 10.3390/bs13060513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The aging process is always accompanied by a decline in cognitive and emotional functions. Although previous studies have identified the positive effects of different meditative practices on emotional and cognitive functions, few studies have investigated the most primitive Chinese meditation-Shaolin Zen meditation. In particular, data are extremely limited regarding the brain mechanism of the effects of Shaolin Zen meditation on cognitive and emotional functions during aging. The current study aimed to explore the effects of long-term Shaolin Zen meditation practice on event-related potentials (ERPs) during facial emotion recognition in aging. ERPs were recorded from 16 monks with long-term meditation experience and 20 controls without meditation experience. The significant age-related degenerative changes in the early ERP components did not present in the meditators but only in the controls without meditation experience. Additionally, we found no group differences in the late P3 component. These findings suggest that long-term Shaolin Zen meditation practice can counteract the age-related cognitive decline in the "down-top" automatic processing of emotional stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huang Gu
- Institute of Behavior and Psychology, School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Tiantian Liang
- Institute of Behavior and Psychology, School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Zhaoyang Xin
- Institute of Behavior and Psychology, School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Zilu Lu
- Institute of Behavior and Psychology, School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Qiaoling Li
- Institute of Behavior and Psychology, School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Hao Hong
- Zhongyuan Wushu Research Institute, Henan University, Kaifeng 475000, China
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O’Hare AJ, Gemelli ZT. The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0278826. [PMID: 36662726 PMCID: PMC9858058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training has been shown to improve cognitive processing, wellbeing, and academic performance. However, mindfulness interventions that are integrated into non-mindfulness related courses have not been well-investigated. Further, the unique effects of different aspects of MBSR training are not as well understood. This paper examines the effects that are uniquely associated with focused-attention versus self-compassion mindfulness practices utilizing a multi-method approach. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during an Emotional Flanker task, and self-report measures of wellbeing and measures of classroom performance were collected before and after training. Participants were students in two sections of the same undergraduate course and either completed 10 weeks of focused-attention practice or self-compassion practice that was built into their class sessions. Students in the focused-attention group (mean age = 22.08) had reduced interference effects on their reaction times following the training. Students in the self-compassion group (mean age = 23.91) showed altered processing of conflict on negative trials via the N2 and P3 ERP amplitudes after the training. This group also reported significant improvements in wellbeing and performed significantly better on more class tests compared to the focused-attention group. These data support the effectiveness of incorporating brief, simplified mindfulness practices in any classroom as an intervention to improve attention, wellbeing and classroom performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aminda J. O’Hare
- Department of Psychological Science, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Zachary T. Gemelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Pellegrino M, Glicksohn J, Marson F, Ferraiuolo F, Ben-soussan TD. The cloud of unknowing: Cognitive dedifferentiation in whole-body perceptual deprivation. Progress in Brain Research 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
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Medvedev S, Boytsova J, Bubeev Y, Kaplan A, Kokurina E, Olsen A, Smoleevskiy A, Syrov N, Yakovlev L, Zhironkina Y, Rinpoche TT, Chhonden T, Dorje Y, Lhakpa S, Lobsang T, Lhundup K, Norbu N, Phuntsok L, Sangpo L, Sherap T, Wangchuk T. Traditional Buddhist meditations reduce mismatch negativity in expert practitioners. Int J Psychophysiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Fucci E, Poublan-Couzardot A, Abdoun O, Lutz A. No effect of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on EEG auditory mismatch negativity in expert and novice practitioners. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 176:62-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Tivadar RI, Knight RT, Tzovara A. Automatic Sensory Predictions: A Review of Predictive Mechanisms in the Brain and Their Link to Conscious Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:702520. [PMID: 34489663 PMCID: PMC8416526 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.702520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The human brain has the astonishing capacity of integrating streams of sensory information from the environment and forming predictions about future events in an automatic way. Despite being initially developed for visual processing, the bulk of predictive coding research has subsequently focused on auditory processing, with the famous mismatch negativity signal as possibly the most studied signature of a surprise or prediction error (PE) signal. Auditory PEs are present during various consciousness states. Intriguingly, their presence and characteristics have been linked with residual levels of consciousness and return of awareness. In this review we first give an overview of the neural substrates of predictive processes in the auditory modality and their relation to consciousness. Then, we focus on different states of consciousness - wakefulness, sleep, anesthesia, coma, meditation, and hypnosis - and on what mysteries predictive processing has been able to disclose about brain functioning in such states. We review studies investigating how the neural signatures of auditory predictions are modulated by states of reduced or lacking consciousness. As a future outlook, we propose the combination of electrophysiological and computational techniques that will allow investigation of which facets of sensory predictive processes are maintained when consciousness fades away.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert T. Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Athina Tzovara
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Sleep-Wake Epilepsy Center | NeuroTec, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Vaughn DA, Maggiora MB, Vaughn KJ, Maggiora CJ, Tavakoli AV, Liang W, Zava D, Cohen MS, Lenartowicz A. Modulation of attention and stress with arousal: The mental and physical effects of riding a motorcycle. Brain Res 2021; 1752:147203. [PMID: 33482998 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.147203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Existing theories suggest that moderate arousal improves selective attention, as would be expected in the context of competitive sports or sensation-seeking activities. Here we investigated how riding a motorcycle, an attention-demanding physical activity, affects sensory processing. To do so, we implemented the passive auditory oddball paradigm and measured the EEG response of participants as they rode a motorcycle, drove a car, and sat at rest. Specifically, we measured the N1 and mismatch negativity to auditory tones, as well as alpha power during periods of no tones. We investigated whether riding and driving modulated non-CNS metrics including heart rate and concentrations of the hormones epinephrine, cortisol, DHEA-S, and testosterone. While participants were riding, we found a decrease in N1 amplitude, increase in mismatch negativity, and decrease in relative alpha power, together suggesting enhancement of sensory processing and visual attention. Riding increased epinephrine levels, increased heart rate, and decreased the ratio of cortisol to DHEA-S. Together, these results suggest that riding increases focus, heightens the brain's passive monitoring of changes in the sensory environment, and alters HPA axis response. More generally, our findings suggest that selective attention and sensory monitoring seem to be separable neural processes.
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10
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Deolindo CS, Ribeiro MW, Aratanha MA, Afonso RF, Irrmischer M, Kozasa EH. A Critical Analysis on Characterizing the Meditation Experience Through the Electroencephalogram. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:53. [PMID: 32848645 PMCID: PMC7427581 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Meditation practices, originated from ancient traditions, have increasingly received attention due to their potential benefits to mental and physical health. The scientific community invests efforts into scrutinizing and quantifying the effects of these practices, especially on the brain. There are methodological challenges in describing the neural correlates of the subjective experience of meditation. We noticed, however, that technical considerations on signal processing also don't follow standardized approaches, which may hinder generalizations. Therefore, in this article, we discuss the usage of the electroencephalogram (EEG) as a tool to study meditation experiences in healthy individuals. We describe the main EEG signal processing techniques and how they have been translated to the meditation field until April 2020. Moreover, we examine in detail the limitations/assumptions of these techniques and highlight some good practices, further discussing how technical specifications may impact the interpretation of the outcomes. By shedding light on technical features, this article contributes to more rigorous approaches to evaluate the construct of meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Mona Irrmischer
- Department of Integrative Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Savostyanov A, Tamozhnikov S, Bocharov A, Saprygin A, Matushkin Y, Lashin S, Kolpakova G, Sudobin K, Knyazev G. The Effect of Meditation on Comprehension of Statements About One-Self and Others: A Pilot ERP and Behavioral Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 13:437. [PMID: 31998096 PMCID: PMC6962228 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The main goal of this study was to examine the effect of long-term meditation practice on behavioral indicators and ERP peak characteristics during an error-recognition task, where participants were presented with emotionally negative (evoking anxiety or aggression) written sentences describing self-related or non-self-related emotional state and personality traits. In total, 200 sentences written in Russian with varying emotional coloring were presented during the task, with half of the sentences containing a grammatical error that the participants were asked to identify. The EEG was recorded in age-matched control individuals (n = 17) and two groups of Samatha meditators with relatively short- (3–5 years’ experience, n = 18) and long-term (10–30 years’ experience, n = 18) practice experience. Task performance time (TPT) and accuracy of error detection (AED) were chosen as behavioral values. Amplitude, time latency and cortical distribution of P300 and P600 peaks of ERP were used as a value of speech-related brain activity. All statistical effects of meditation were estimated, controlling for age and sex. No behavioral differences between two groups of meditators were found. General TPT was shorter for both groups of meditators compared to the control group. Non-meditators reacted significantly slower to sentences about aggression than to sentences about anxiety or non-emotional sentences, whereas no significance was found between meditator groups. Non-meditators had better AED for the sentences about one-self than for the sentences about other people, whereas the meditators did not show any significant difference. The amplitude of P300 peak in frontal and left temporal scalp regions was higher for long-term meditators in comparison with both intermediate and control groups. The latency of P300 and P600 in left frontal and temporal regions positively correlated with TPT, whereas the amplitude of P300 in these regions had a negative correlation with TPT. We demonstrate that long-term meditation practice increases the ability of an individual to process negative emotional stimuli. The differences in behavioral reactions after onset of negative information that was self-related and non-self-related, which is typical for non-meditators, disappeared due to the influence of meditation. ERP results could be interpreted as a value of increase in voluntary control over emotional state during meditational practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Savostyanov
- Laboratory of Psychological Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), Novosibirsk, Russia.,Laboratory Differential Psychophysiology, State-Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Laboratory of Biological Markers of Human Social Behavior, Humanitarian Institution at the Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergey Tamozhnikov
- Laboratory Differential Psychophysiology, State-Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Andrey Bocharov
- Laboratory Differential Psychophysiology, State-Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Laboratory of Biological Markers of Human Social Behavior, Humanitarian Institution at the Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Saprygin
- Laboratory Differential Psychophysiology, State-Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Yuriy Matushkin
- Laboratory of Psychological Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergey Lashin
- Laboratory of Psychological Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), Novosibirsk, Russia.,Laboratory of Biological Markers of Human Social Behavior, Humanitarian Institution at the Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Galina Kolpakova
- Laboratory of Biological Markers of Human Social Behavior, Humanitarian Institution at the Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Klimenty Sudobin
- Laboratory of Biological Markers of Human Social Behavior, Humanitarian Institution at the Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Gennady Knyazev
- Laboratory Differential Psychophysiology, State-Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Miyashiro D, Toyomura A, Haitani T, Kumano H. Altered auditory feedback perception following an 8-week mindfulness meditation practice. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 138:38-46. [PMID: 30703400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Our own ongoing motor actions are perceived through sensory feedback pathways, and are integrated with neural processes to modulate further actions. This sensory feedback mechanism is known to contribute to the rehabilitation of impaired motor functions. Recent evidence also suggests that mindfulness meditation improves our awareness to sensation; therefore, enhancement of awareness to sensory feedback through mindfulness meditation training may have potential clinical applications. This study investigated an effect of eight-week practice of mindfulness meditation on speech perception/production processes. Among the thirty healthy participants, half of them engaged in regular meditation practice of 10 min per day for eight weeks, and the other half were not given any instructions for their daily life. The change of speech performance in sentence reading under 200 ms delayed auditory feedback (DAF) condition were assessed compared to without delay condition. Also, event-related potential response to the short sound of /a/, were measured. The result showed that, after the eight-week practice, the meditation group showed significantly improved speech fluency in the DAF condition, when 16-min meditation was introduced before the experiments. Furthermore, significantly increased auditory evoked potentials were observed in the central-parietal region when the participants listened to the delayed auditory feedback sound of their own voice. These findings provide the first glimpses into the possible relationship between mindfulness meditation and auditory feedback. Different instructions for daily activity between the meditation and control groups should be considered in further studies.
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Kakumanu RJ, Nair AK, Sasidharan A, John JP, Mehrotra S, Panth R, Kutty BM. State-trait influences of Vipassana meditation practice on P3 EEG dynamics. Prog Brain Res 2019; 244:115-136. [PMID: 30732834 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have demonstrated that meditation naïve subjects can, in just a few weeks, become proficient enough in meditation to show cognitive improvements accompanied with functional and structural changes in the brain. Would long-term exposure to qualitatively different levels of meditative training bring about differences in cognitive processing? Would meditation prior to task performance help separate out these differences? Could the nature of the task influence the findings related to cognitive enhancements? To address these questions, we evaluated cognitive functions in three groups of experienced Vipassana practitioners (Novices: n=22, Mean±SD meditation experience=989±595h; Senior practitioners: 21, 10,510±5313; Teachers: 16, 14,648±9623) who differed in terms of duration and quality of meditative practice. Specifically, we employed "ANGEL" a gamified multilevel oddball paradigm, to assess P3 event-related potentials (ERPs) and associated EEG dynamics-power spectra, event related spectral perturbations (ERSP) and inter-trial coherence (ITC). In order to elicit the state-trait influences of meditation, the cognitive task was performed after the participants had undergone an hour long traditional meditation session. All participants could perform the task well and the gross ERP waveforms were similar for the three groups. As hypothesized, we found distinct state-trait influences of meditation leading to graded differences in P3 EEG dynamics. Specifically, we found reduced theta synchrony, enhanced alpha de-synchrony and lesser theta-alpha coherence in the more proficient meditators. Post hoc analyses revealed several differences between the novice and teacher groups but not as many between novice and seniors suggesting that the senior meditators formed an intermediate group. Our study demonstrates that both quantity and quality of meditation influence EEG dynamics during cognitive processing and that meditation prior to a task can provide additional state-trait effects involved in meeting the specific cognitive demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratna Jyothi Kakumanu
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Ajay Kumar Nair
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Arun Sasidharan
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - John P John
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Seema Mehrotra
- Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Ravindra Panth
- Department of Buddhist Philosophy, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, Bihar, India
| | - Bindu M Kutty
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.
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Chung K, Lee D, Park JY. Involuntary Attention Restoration During Exposure to Mobile-Based 360° Virtual Nature in Healthy Adults With Different Levels of Restorative Experience: Event-Related Potential Study. J Med Internet Res 2018; 20:e11152. [PMID: 30504121 PMCID: PMC6300039 DOI: 10.2196/11152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the global trend of urbanization, there are increasing reports of a possible association between decreased exposure to nature and increased occurrence of mental disorders. New 360° virtual reality (VR) technology using smartphones and portable VR glasses can overcome spatial and temporal limitations to help people deal with mental fatigue in everyday life. OBJECTIVE On the basis of attention restoration theory (ART), this study aimed to investigate whether the amplitude of the mismatch negativity (MMN)/P3a complex could act as an event-related potential (ERP) biomarker of involuntary attention restoration during exposure to 360° virtual nature in healthy young adults with different levels of restorative VR experience. METHODS A total of 40 healthy adults completed prequestionnaires on demographics and simulator sickness and postquestionnaires on simulator sickness and perceived restorativeness before and after exposure to virtual nature, respectively. During the VR exposure, brain activity was measured by electroencephalography as participants were asked to conduct a 2-tone passive auditory oddball task. RESULTS The amplitude and latency of the MMN/P3a complex were compared between individuals reporting a highly restorative experience and those reporting a less restorative experience. Although viewing a virtual nature environment, the high restorative group (N=19) exhibited significantly reduced P3a amplitudes compared with the low restorative group (N=20; t38=2.57; P=.02; d=0.59). Particularly, a moderate but significant negative correlation was found between the self-reported restorativeness scores and the P3a amplitudes at the fronto-central region (r=-.38; P=.02). However, the latency of the MMN/P3a complex did not significantly differ between the 2 groups (auditory mismatch negativity: t38=-1.47; P=.15 and P3a: t38=-0.31; P=.76). CONCLUSIONS Considering individuals' restorative experience, the amplitude of the fronto-central MMN/P3a complex can potentially be employed as a distinct ERP component of interest in involuntary attention restoration during virtual nature experience in healthy young adults. The findings for the 360° virtual nature experience seem to be consistent with those of previous ERP studies on the effects of meditation practice. This study extends the findings of previous ART and ERP studies of real-world meditation, restoration, and mental fatigue management into the virtual world created by mobile phone-based VR glasses and 360° video content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyungmi Chung
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Daeho Lee
- Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Young Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Fucci E, Abdoun O, Caclin A, Francis A, Dunne JD, Ricard M, Davidson RJ, Lutz A. Differential effects of non-dual and focused attention meditations on the formation of automatic perceptual habits in expert practitioners. Neuropsychologia 2018; 119:92-100. [PMID: 30040956 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Non-dual meditation aims to undo maladaptive cognitive and affective patterns by recognizing their constructed and transient nature. We previously found high-amplitude spontaneous gamma (25-40 Hz) oscillatory activity during such practice. Nonetheless, it is unclear how this meditation state differs from other practices, in terms of perceptual information processing. Here, we hypothesized that non-dual meditation can downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. To investigate this hypothesis, we recorded EEG from expert Buddhist meditation practitioners and matched novices to measure two components of the auditory evoked response: the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and the Late Frontal Negativity (LFN), a potential observed at a latency sensitive to attentional engagement to the auditory environment, during the practices of Open Presence (OP) and Focused Attention (FA), as well as during a control state, in the context of a passive oddball paradigm. We found an increase in gamma oscillatory power during both meditation states in expert practitioners and an interaction between states and groups in the amplitude of the MMN. A further investigation identified the specific interplay between the MMN and the LFN as a possible marker to differentiate the two meditation states as a function of expertise. In experts, the MMN increased during FA, compared to OP, while the opposite pattern was observed at the LFN latency. We propose that the state of OP in experts is characterized by increased sensory monitoring and reduced perceptual inferences compared to FA. This study represents a first attempt to describe the impact of non-dual meditation states on the regulation of automatic brain predictive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Fucci
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - O Abdoun
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - A Caclin
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - A Francis
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - J D Dunne
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - M Ricard
- Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, Nepal
| | - R J Davidson
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - A Lutz
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France; University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
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