Somatosensory and visual evoked potential dynamics as a correlate of reversible states of altered consciousness

Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies.

“…This interpretation is consonant with results from the 1970s in normal individuals that selective attention and later cognitive processing were reflected by different ERP components. Advanced concentrative meditation practitioners seemed to demonstrate decreased amplitude and latency for several sensory EPs (e.g., Anand et al, 1961;Gordeev, Baziian, & Liubimov, 1992), whereas mindfulness-based practices sometimes induced a decrease in habituation (e.g., Banquet, 1973;Kasamatsu & Hirai, 1966). Thus, these methods were used to characterize sensory and cognitive information processing in meditation as has been done with behavioral measures indicating enhanced perceptual acuity (D. P. Brown, Forte, & Dysart, 1984a, 1984bPanjwani et al, 2000).…”

“…Similar yogic meditators produced somatosensory EP amplitude decreases when instructed to block out the sensory stimuli, whereas the controls produced no effects. Further, the early components decreased only on the recording sites ipsilateral to stimulation side, but late components decreased bilaterally (Gordeev et al, 1992). This outcome implies that some concentrative meditation practices states can block sensory input at a subcortical level.…”

Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies.

“…This interpretation is consonant with results from the 1970s in normal individuals that selective attention and later cognitive processing were reflected by different ERP components. Advanced concentrative meditation practitioners seemed to demonstrate decreased amplitude and latency for several sensory EPs (e.g., Anand et al, 1961;Gordeev, Baziian, & Liubimov, 1992), whereas mindfulness-based practices sometimes induced a decrease in habituation (e.g., Banquet, 1973;Kasamatsu & Hirai, 1966). Thus, these methods were used to characterize sensory and cognitive information processing in meditation as has been done with behavioral measures indicating enhanced perceptual acuity (D. P. Brown, Forte, & Dysart, 1984a, 1984bPanjwani et al, 2000).…”