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Zazen meditation and no-task resting EEG compared with LORETA intracortical source localization
Pascal L Faber1, Dietrich Lehmann, Lorena R R Gianotti
1The KEY Institute for Brain-Mind Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland, pfaber@key.uzh.ch.
Cognitive Processing
|October 7, 2014
Summary
Zen meditation (Zazen) alters brain activity, particularly in the right prefrontal cortex and posterior regions. This practice, compared to resting, shows changes in alpha and beta frequencies, suggesting reduced self-reference and enhanced processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Meditation practices like Zazen aim to reduce intrusive thoughts and self-reference.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to study brain activity during meditation.
- Scalp EEG data requires source modeling for accurate brain area localization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in brain electric activity between Zazen meditation and task-free resting.
- To localize brain areas showing altered activity during Zazen using source modeling.
Main Methods:
- Used Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETTA) source modeling on 58-channel scalp EEG data.
- Recorded data from 15 experienced Zen meditators during Zazen and resting states.
Main Results:
- Increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 activity in a right-lateralized cluster (prefrontal, insula, somatosensory, motor, temporal areas) during Zazen.
- Decreased alpha and beta-2 activity in the left angular gyrus.
- Decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in bilateral posterior regions (visual, posterior cingulate, parietal cortices).
Conclusions:
- Zazen meditation is associated with distinct patterns of brain activity compared to resting.
- Results suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing, alongside reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference.
- These findings relate to the default mode network and support a more detached, moment-to-moment awareness during Zazen.
