A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology sheds light on the distinct neural correlates of two primary types of meditation — concentrative and analytical — using electroencephalography (EEG). The researchers found that these meditative practices result in different patterns of brain activity, providing insights into how meditation affects cognitive and emotional regulation. This study involved monks from the Sera Jey Monastery in India, offering a unique glimpse into the neurophysiological effects of long-term meditation practice.
The researchers aimed to investigate how different forms of meditation influence brain activity. Despite the growing popularity of meditation in both clinical and secular contexts, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the specific neural mechanisms underlying various meditative practices.
By focusing on concentrative and analytical meditation, the study sought to delineate the distinct neurophysiological profiles associated with these practices. The researchers hoped to address gaps in the literature, particularly the need for more nuanced and contextually rich examinations of meditation’s effects on the brain.
“Although I have been Professor of Electronics at the University of Pisa for over 40 years, the science of the mind and the investigation of consciousness have always been at the center of my interests and curiosity,” explained study author Bruno Neri.
“The first time I read about the Dalai Lama was in an adventure book when I was 14 years old: this figure of political and spiritual guidance of his people marked by boundless compassion struck me deeply. His reincarnation, and his return after each lifetime to continue leading his people, has always fascinated me. These two interests merged into a single thread when I found myself completely by chance at the Lama Tsongkhapa Institute, the largest center of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, about 40 kilometers from Pisa.”
“For this reason, a few years later, when the Dalai Lama, during a visit to the Institute that I had been attending for some time, asked the director to establish contacts with the University of Pisa and the Director spoke to me about it, I jumped at the chance occasion by promoting collaboration agreements both with the Institute itself and with the Tibetan Monastic University of Sera Jey in India.”
The study was conducted over 12 weeks at the Sera Jey Monastery in India, involving 23 monks who varied in their meditation experience. The monastic university, located in Bylakuppe, is a prominent center for Buddhist learning and practice. It was reestablished by monks who escaped Tibet following the Chinese occupation in 1959.
“The University of Sera Jey was destroyed 60 years ago due to the Chinese invasion and rebuilt in India: this is a great test of resistance, maturity and perseverance in peace on the part of a people who have never reacted to violence with violence and show how the aptitude for non-violence can be developed by educating the mind,” Neri explained.
The participants were divided into three groups: beginners, intermediates, and advanced meditators. The researchers collected EEG data from these monks as they engaged in both concentrative and analytical meditation sessions. The sessions were not time-restricted, allowing each participant to meditate naturally and without external pressure.
The researchers found significant differences in EEG patterns between concentrative and analytical meditation. Concentrative meditation, which involves focusing attention on a single object (like the breath or a mantra), showed more pronounced changes in brain activity compared to analytical meditation. Specifically, concentrative meditation was associated with increased power in alpha and theta brain waves, particularly in frontal and posterior regions. These changes suggest enhanced attentional control and reduced mind-wandering during concentrative meditation.
In contrast, analytical meditation, which involves reflecting on specific concepts or teachings, showed less dramatic changes in brain activity. While both types of meditation led to some alterations in EEG patterns, the effects of concentrative meditation were more robust and consistent.
Neri was impressed by the monks’ ability “to voluntarily induce different mental states that are easily recognizable with objective measuring instruments.”
“We must approach these people with great humility and the desire to learn from them, leaving typical Western arrogance at home and avoiding making them feel like guinea pigs.”
The researchers also observed a unique phenomenon in advanced meditators: the presence of a marked peak in the beta frequency range during some sessions, which was not present in beginners. This suggests that long-term meditation practice might enhance specific cognitive and attentional processes.
The research highlights how a multidisciplinary contribution — Western Neuroscience on the one hand and Contemplative Practices that have developed continuously for almost 3 millennia in the great Eastern traditions on the other — is indispensable to overcome otherwise insurmountable obstacles to the understanding of enigma of consciousness,” Neri told PsyPost
While the study provides valuable insights, it also has several limitations. The sample size was relatively small, and the distribution of participants across different levels of meditation experience was uneven. This makes it difficult to generalize the findings to all meditators. Future studies should aim to include larger and more balanced samples.
The researchers suggest that future studies should explore the long-term effects of meditation, particularly how sustained practice over years might lead to lasting changes in brain structure and function. Investigating the impact of meditation on specific clinical populations, such as individuals with anxiety or depression, could also provide valuable insights into its therapeutic potential.
“The thing that fascinates me most are some types of esoteric meditations that allow practitioners to go to the roots of the mind/body relationship, showing a cause/effect relationship opposite to that recognized in the dominant vision of neuroscience,” Neri said. “It is not consciousness which presents itself as an epiphenomenon of the brain that generates it, but is itself capable of managing its relationship with the body.”
“An example of this is the g-tummo meditation in which the mind controls the body temperature until it reaches almost 39°C. Another is the Mahamudra meditation through which meditators simulate the detachment of the mind/consciousness from the body by surprisingly lowering their metabolism until they appear dead. The next step will be to look for these two types of expert meditators during the next research mission to Sera Jey which will begin in a few weeks.”
“Francisco Varela understood the indispensability of combining the third-person approach, objective analysis, with the first-person approach, subjective analysis through contemplative practices, to progress in the investigation of consciousness,” Neri added. “Unfortunately he died prematurely. My experience with an ancient and authoritative tradition like that of Tibetan Buddhism showed me that Varela was right.”
The study, “Report from a Tibetan Monastery: EEG neural correlates of concentrative and analytical meditation,” was authored by Bruno Neri, Alejandro Luis Callara, Nicola Vanello, Danilo Menicucci, Andrea Zaccaro, Andrea Piarulli, Marco Laurino, Ngawang Norbu, Jampa Kechok, Ngawang Sherab, and Angelo Gemignani.
