Abstract
Our focus of attention naturally fluctuates between different sources of information even when we desire to focus on a single object. Focused attention (FA) meditation is associated with greater control over this process, yet the neuronal mechanisms underlying this ability are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesize that the capacity of attention to transiently focus and swiftly change relates to the critical dynamics emerging when neuronal systems balance at a point of instability between order and disorder. In FA meditation, however, the ability to stay focused is trained, which may be associated with a more homogeneous brain state. To test this hypothesis, we applied analytical tools from criticality theory to EEG in meditation practitioners and meditation-naïve participants from two independent labs. We show that in practitioners—but not in controls—FA meditation strongly suppressed long-range temporal correlations (LRTC) of neuronal oscillations relative to eyes-closed rest with remarkable consistency across frequency bands and scalp locations. The ability to reduce LRTC during meditation increased after one year of additional training and was associated with the subjective experience of fully engaging one's attentional resources, also known as absorption. Sustained practice also affected normal waking brain dynamics as reflected in increased LRTC during an eyes-closed rest state, indicating that brain dynamics are altered beyond the meditative state. Taken together, our findings suggest that the framework of critical brain dynamics is promising for understanding neuronal mechanisms of meditative states and, specifically, we have identified a clear electrophysiological correlate of the FA meditation state.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1825-1838 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Human Brain Mapping |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 13 Jan 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2018 |
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Keywords
- absorption
- criticality
- long-range temporal correlations
- meditation
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Controlling the Temporal Structure of Brain Oscillations by Focused Attention Meditation. / Irrmischer, Mona; Houtman, Simon J.; Mansvelder, Huibert D.; Tremmel, Michael; Ott, Ulrich; Linkenkaer-Hansen, Klaus.
In: Human Brain Mapping, Vol. 39, No. 4, 04.2018, p. 1825-1838.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Controlling the Temporal Structure of Brain Oscillations by Focused Attention Meditation
AU - Irrmischer, Mona
AU - Houtman, Simon J.
AU - Mansvelder, Huibert D.
AU - Tremmel, Michael
AU - Ott, Ulrich
AU - Linkenkaer-Hansen, Klaus
PY - 2018/4
Y1 - 2018/4
N2 - Our focus of attention naturally fluctuates between different sources of information even when we desire to focus on a single object. Focused attention (FA) meditation is associated with greater control over this process, yet the neuronal mechanisms underlying this ability are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesize that the capacity of attention to transiently focus and swiftly change relates to the critical dynamics emerging when neuronal systems balance at a point of instability between order and disorder. In FA meditation, however, the ability to stay focused is trained, which may be associated with a more homogeneous brain state. To test this hypothesis, we applied analytical tools from criticality theory to EEG in meditation practitioners and meditation-naïve participants from two independent labs. We show that in practitioners—but not in controls—FA meditation strongly suppressed long-range temporal correlations (LRTC) of neuronal oscillations relative to eyes-closed rest with remarkable consistency across frequency bands and scalp locations. The ability to reduce LRTC during meditation increased after one year of additional training and was associated with the subjective experience of fully engaging one's attentional resources, also known as absorption. Sustained practice also affected normal waking brain dynamics as reflected in increased LRTC during an eyes-closed rest state, indicating that brain dynamics are altered beyond the meditative state. Taken together, our findings suggest that the framework of critical brain dynamics is promising for understanding neuronal mechanisms of meditative states and, specifically, we have identified a clear electrophysiological correlate of the FA meditation state.
AB - Our focus of attention naturally fluctuates between different sources of information even when we desire to focus on a single object. Focused attention (FA) meditation is associated with greater control over this process, yet the neuronal mechanisms underlying this ability are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesize that the capacity of attention to transiently focus and swiftly change relates to the critical dynamics emerging when neuronal systems balance at a point of instability between order and disorder. In FA meditation, however, the ability to stay focused is trained, which may be associated with a more homogeneous brain state. To test this hypothesis, we applied analytical tools from criticality theory to EEG in meditation practitioners and meditation-naïve participants from two independent labs. We show that in practitioners—but not in controls—FA meditation strongly suppressed long-range temporal correlations (LRTC) of neuronal oscillations relative to eyes-closed rest with remarkable consistency across frequency bands and scalp locations. The ability to reduce LRTC during meditation increased after one year of additional training and was associated with the subjective experience of fully engaging one's attentional resources, also known as absorption. Sustained practice also affected normal waking brain dynamics as reflected in increased LRTC during an eyes-closed rest state, indicating that brain dynamics are altered beyond the meditative state. Taken together, our findings suggest that the framework of critical brain dynamics is promising for understanding neuronal mechanisms of meditative states and, specifically, we have identified a clear electrophysiological correlate of the FA meditation state.
KW - absorption
KW - criticality
KW - long-range temporal correlations
KW - meditation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040600614&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85040600614&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/hbm.23971
DO - 10.1002/hbm.23971
M3 - Article
VL - 39
SP - 1825
EP - 1838
JO - Human Brain Mapping
JF - Human Brain Mapping
SN - 1065-9471
IS - 4
ER -