Author: Pasquini HA1, Tanaka GK2, Basile LF3, Velasques B4, Lozano MD1, Ribeiro P5.
Affiliation: 1Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Faculdade da Saúde, UMESP, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil. 2Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. 3Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Faculdade da Saúde, UMESP, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil ; Division of Neurosurgery, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ; School of Physical Education, Bioscience Department, EEFD/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ; Institute of Applied Neuroscience (INA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ; Neurophysiology and Neuropsychology of Attention, Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. 5Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration, Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ; School of Physical Education, Bioscience Department, EEFD/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ; Institute of Applied Neuroscience (INA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Conference/Journal: Biomed Res Int.
Date published: 2015
Other:
Volume ID: 2015 , Pages: 598469 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1155/2015/598496 , Word Count: 177
This study aimed to verify the electrophysiological correlates of the changes in long-term regular meditators. We use modern techniques of high-resolution electroencephalography applied to slow potentials, power spectra, and potencies related to the events. To obtain encephalographic records, we use an assembly of 128 channels in 31 subjects (17 Soto Zen Buddhist meditators). The motivation of this study was to determine whether the induced beta power would present an increase in meditators as well as a decrease in induced theta/beta ratio in absolute and relative values. However, opposite to what we expected, no significant change was found in the beta frequency. In contrast, the main findings of the study were correlations between the frequency of weekly meditation practice and the increased theta induced relative power, increase of induced power ratio (ratio theta/beta), and increase of the ratio of induced relative powers (theta/beta ratio) during our task that featured an "adapted meditation," suggesting that the meditative state of "mindfulness" is much more related to the permittivity of "distractions" by the meditators, with a deliberate reduction of attention.
PMID: 25632397