EEG changes induced by meditative practices: State and trait effects in healthy subjects and in patients with epilepsy.

Meditation affects brain activity both during practice (state effects) and as lasting changes in resting-state (trait effects). This review focuses on EEG changes in healthy subjects with or without meditation experience, covering baseline rhythms, functional connectivity, and nonlinear parameters, and discusses their feasibility for clinical applications. The article also reviews studies using standardized meditation programs—including mindfulness, loving-kindness, and compassion—as complementary therapy for epilepsy patients, who often experience anxiety and depression. These studies examine effects on psychological functioning and seizure occurrence. Preliminary results from an ongoing study quantifying the effects of mindfulness self-compassion practice on interictal and ictal epileptic activity are presented, along with feasibility, difficulties, and prospects.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The effect of meditation on brain activity has been the topic of many studies in healthy subjects and in patients suffering from chronic diseases. These effects are either explored during meditation practice (state effects) or as a longer-term result of meditation training during the resting-state (trait). The topic of this article is to first review these findings by focusing on electroencephalography (EEG) changes in healthy subjects with or without experience in meditation. Modifications in EEG baseline rhythms, functional connectivity and advanced nonlinear parameters are discussed in regard to feasibility in clinical applications. Secondly, we provide a state-of-the-art of studies that proposed meditative practices as a complementary therapy in patients with epilepsy, in whom anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent. In these studies, the effects of standardized meditation programs including elements of traditional meditation practices such as mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion are explored both at the level of psychological functioning and on the occurrence of seizures. Lastly, preliminary results are given regarding our ongoing study, the aim of which is to quantify the effects of a mindfulness self-compassion (MSC) practice on interictal and ictal epileptic activity. Feasibility, difficulties, and prospects of this study are discussed.