Source-space EEG neurofeedback links subjective experience with brain activity during effortless awareness meditation

Abstract

Background Meditation is increasingly showing beneficial effects for psychiatric disorders. However, learning to meditate is not straightforward as there are no easily discernible outward signs of performance and thus no direct feedback is possible. As meditation has been found to correlate with posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activity, we tested whether source-space EEG neurofeedback from the PCC followed the subjective experience of effortless awareness (a major component of meditation), and whether participants could volitionally control the signal. Methods Sixteen novice meditators and sixteen experienced meditators participated in the study. Novice meditators were briefly trained to perform a basic meditation practice to induce the subjective experience of effortless awareness in a progressively more challenging neurofeedback test-battery. Experienced meditators performed a self-selected meditation practice to induce this state in the same test-battery. Neurofeedback was provided based on gamma-band (40–57 Hz) PCC activity extracted using a beamformer algorithm. Associations between PCC activity and the subjective experience of effortless awareness were assessed by verbal probes. Results Both groups reported that decreased PCC activity corresponded with effortless awareness (P<0.0025 for each group), with high median confidence ratings (novices: 8 on a 0–10 Likert scale; experienced: 9). Both groups showed high moment-to-moment median correspondence ratings between PCC activity and subjective experience of effortless awareness (novices: 8, experienced: 9). Both groups were able to volitionally control the PCC signal in the direction associated with effortless awareness by practicing effortless awareness meditation (novices: median % of time =77.97, P=0.001; experienced: 89.83, P<0.0005). Conclusions These findings support the feasibility of using EEG neurofeedback to link an objective measure of brain activity with the subjective experience of effortless awareness, and suggest potential utility of this paradigm as a tool for meditation training.

Meditation is associated with increased brain network integration

“…Importantly, the results of this cross-sectional study provide the rationale to investigate whether there is an association between the network integration measures in the alpha band and the subjective experience of meditation quality in real-time, similar to our previously reported link between 40–57 Hz gamma activity in the posterior cingulate cortex and the subjective experience of effortless awareness (Van Lutterveld et al, 2016). If in future neurophenomenology experiments a temporal relation can be observed between these new measures and the subjective experience of meditation quality, this would provide the rationale to investigate the efficacy of this measure in a neurofeedback randomized controlled trial.…”

“…However, in pilot studies we found that for novices, noting practice was the least effortful form of meditation. Moreover, novices are easily trained to proficiency in this meditation practice (van Lutterveld et al, 2016). In addition, in pilot experiments we observed that experienced meditators who were proficient in a different meditation practice than noting practice, actually found noting practice more effortful than their own meditation practice.…”

“…Utilizing a dataset from a previous study (Van Lutterveld et al, 2016), sixteen novice meditators (defined as having no meditation practice in the previous year and <20 entire lifetime hours) and 16 experienced meditators (defined as meditating ≥30 minutes per day for at least 5 days per week over the past 5 years) were matched for age, gender and handedness. Exclusion criteria for both novice meditators and experienced meditators were: (i) any neurological condition, including head injury or head trauma, (ii) any serious psychiatric, cognitive or medical disorder which could interfere with completion of the study (anxiety and depressive disorders in remission were not considered exclusion criteria), (iii) not being on a stable dose for the last 6 months if using anxiolytic or antidepressant medication, (iv) alcohol abuse, specified as drinking more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week at any one time or more than 4 drinks at any one time for a male, and drinking more than 7 alcoholic drinks per week at any one time or more than 3 drinks at any one time for a female, (v) illegal or recreational drug use in the past 6 weeks.…”

“…After completing the baseline task, participants performed effortless awareness meditation for 3.5 minutes. This procedure was part of a larger test battery, which is described in detail in (Van Lutterveld et al, 2016). The baseline task was included to familiarize participants with it as it was an essential component of the other tasks in the test battery.…”

Contributions of Neuroscience to a New Empathy Epistemology: Implications for Developmental Training

“…Simulation has been shown to teach empathy (Chen et al, 2015). Additionally, mindfulness techniques have the capacity for elevating empathy awareness (Grant, 2014;Van Lutterveld et al, 2016). Narrative journaling has also been widely utilized for increased perspective-taking (Smith, 2009).…”