Neuromodulation and meditation: A review and synthesis toward promoting well-being and understanding consciousness and brain.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews August 1, 2024 K. Abellaneda-Pérez, Ruby M. Potash, Á. Pascual-Leone et al.
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can help researchers investigate the neural mechanisms underlying meditation's beneficial effects on well-being and consciousness. Prior research has mainly targeted frontal and parietal cortices, suggesting NIBS might boost meditation's behavioral and neural effects. NIBS has also revealed distinct neural signatures in long-term meditators. However, methodological variations across studies make definitive interpretation of results challenging. Future work should focus on core substrates of meditation, including specific brain networks and oscillations, and causal mechanisms of advanced meditation. Overall, NIBS-meditation research holds promise for enhancing meditation-based interventions in both non-clinical and clinical populations.