The EEG spectral properties of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices

Rodriguez-Larios, Julio; Bracho Montes de Oca, Eduardo A.; Alaerts, Kaat · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118669

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Summary

This study investigates whether the subjective differences in meditation experience between trained practitioners and novices are reflected in distinct electroencephalography (EEG) spectral properties. Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the neural correlates of meditation and mind wandering, potentially due to methodological limitations such as fixed frequency bands and failure to control for non-oscillatory EEG components. To address this, the authors compared EEG data from 29 experienced meditators (with >3 years of practice) and 29 novices during rest, uninterrupted breath-focus meditation, and interrupted meditation with experience sampling. This design allowed for the disentanglement of breath-focus periods from mind-wandering episodes. The researchers recorded EEG using a 19-electrode cap and analyzed four specific parameters: raw power, the slope of the 1/f trend (aperiodic component), individual alpha power (IAP), and individual alpha frequency (IAF). Crucially, the analysis controlled for inter-individual differences in alpha peak frequency and separated oscillatory activity from the non-oscillatory 1/f trend, which is linked to excitation-inhibition balance. Statistical significance was assessed using cluster-based permutation tests. During the experience sampling condition, participants reported their attentional state (focus, distraction, or other) and drowsiness levels at random intervals. Behavioral results confirmed that meditators reported significantly higher proportions of breath-focus trials and lower proportions of mind-wandering trials compared to controls. Meditators also reported higher attention levels during focus periods. EEG analysis revealed distinct group-specific modulations. Relative to rest, meditators exhibited a significant decrease in alpha/beta power, reduced IAF in frontal electrodes, reduced IAP in parietal electrodes, and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation. In contrast, controls showed no significant changes in these specific metrics relative to rest. Regarding mind wandering, controls (but not meditators) showed a significant increase in IAP and alpha/beta power during distraction compared to breath-focus periods. Additionally, drowsiness was positively correlated with theta/low-alpha power in both groups, suggesting that previous inconsistencies in alpha power findings may have been confounded by arousal levels. The findings demonstrate that the subjective experience of meditation and mind wandering differs fundamentally between experts and novices, with these differences clearly reflected in both oscillatory and non-oscillatory EEG properties. Specifically, experienced meditators show a unique neural signature characterized by reduced alpha activity and a steeper 1/f slope during practice, indicating altered excitation-inhibition balance. Conversely, novices exhibit increased alpha power during mind wandering, a pattern not seen in experts. These results suggest that meditation training leads to distinct neurophysiological adaptations in attention regulation and that methodological rigor in separating oscillatory from aperiodic EEG components is essential for accurately characterizing meditative states.

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