Brain DC Potential Changes Associated with Meditation Techniques of Concentration and Mindfulness
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1
Medical University of Vienna, Austria
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2
University of Vienna, Austria
Meditation techniques are traditional techniques to alter the way of information processing and therefore brain activity. Concentration, as one technique, refers to a stable control of the attentional focus and includes holding one's awareness on a particular object. Unlike concentration mindfulness is not focused on a single object and refers to sources of unintentional stimulation. It is cultivated during meditation by gradually learning to simply notice what arises in consciousness without allowing and/or getting lost in related thoughts, reactions, and elaborations. The present study investigated brain DC potentials during relaxation and meditation tasks in 16 experts and 16 novices. Nineteen minutes lasting tasks in experts consisted of 3 conditions: (1) eyes closed relaxation, (2) concentration, and (3a) mindfulness, and in novices instead of mindfulness (3b) autogenic training. MANOVA of DC potentials from Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, C3, C4, P3, and P4 referred to linked mastoids indicated a Group x Condition interaction. DC potentials shifted positive at prefrontal locations and negative at parietal locations during eyes closed relaxation. During concentration DC potentials were comparable to relaxation in experts but more positive than during relaxation in novices at all locations. Autogenic training in novices was comparable to relaxation. Mindfulness in experts was associated with a negative shift of the brain DC potential at all locations. Results indicate that meditation techniques, in particular concentration, are associated with a (predominately) frontal positive shifted DC potential and mindfulness with a negative shifted brain DC potential. That is in concordance that positive brain DC potentials are associated with inhibition and negative DC potential facilitates information processing.
Keywords:
Attention,
Meditation,
mindfulness,
concentration,
brain DC potentials
Conference:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Cognition and Executive Processes
Citation:
Trimmel
M,
Pieringer
C and
Trimmel
K
(2015). Brain DC Potential Changes Associated with Meditation Techniques of Concentration and Mindfulness.
Conference Abstract:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00372
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Received:
19 Feb 2015;
Published Online:
24 Apr 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Prof. Michael Trimmel, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, michael.trimmel@meduniwien.ac.at