Time-to-onset and temporal dynamics of EEG during breath-watching meditation

This study investigates the time-to-onset and temporal dynamics of EEG changes during breath-watching meditation in three groups: meditation-naïve controls, novice meditators, and advanced meditators. High-density EEG data were analyzed using 1-minute segments, comparing power differences from a 30-second baseline. Results show statistically significant increases in alpha, theta, and beta1 power, and decreases in delta and gamma1 power, around 2-3 minutes, peaking between 7-10 minutes across all groups. Advanced meditators exhibited a greater magnitude of these changes, particularly higher theta and theta-alpha power. These findings suggest that brief meditation practices (7 minutes or more) could be effective for improving mental well-being.

Saketh Malipeddi, Arun Sasidharan, Rahul Venugopal, Prejaas K.B. Tewarie, Ravindra P.N., Georg Northoff, Steven Laureys, Balachundhar Subramaniam, Bindu M Kutty