Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroscience of Meditation

Background:

• The attentional blink (AB) demonstrates limited human information processing capacity, where a second target (T2) is often missed if presented soon after a first target (T1).
• This deficit is attributed to competition for limited attentional resources between T1 and T2.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether mental training (meditation) can alter the distribution of limited brain resources and affect attentional blink performance.
• To explore the relationship between brain resource allocation to T1 and the magnitude of the attentional blink.

Main Methods:

• Participants engaged in three months of intensive mental training.
• Performance on an attentional blink task was measured.
• Scalp-recorded brain potentials, specifically the T1-elicited P3b (an index of resource allocation), were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Intensive mental training led to a significant reduction in the attentional blink.
• Meditation training resulted in decreased brain resource allocation to T1, evidenced by a smaller T1-elicited P3b.
• Greater reductions in T1 resource allocation correlated with larger decreases in attentional blink size.

Conclusions:

• Mental training enhances control over the distribution of limited brain resources.
• Efficient deployment of attentional resources to T1 is crucial for accurate T2 identification.
• The study provides evidence for lifelong brain plasticity and the utility of mental training in cognitive research.