Examining the Impact of a Specific Guided Meditation (Twin Hearts Meditation; THM) on Mood, Cognitive Functioning, and EEG Dynamics in Experienced and Novice Meditators
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 28
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Mood Differences and Changes in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators
研究概览
简要总结
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the impact of a specific guided meditation (Twin Hearts Meditation; THM) on cognitive functioning and EEG dynamics in experienced and inexperienced meditators.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Will the experienced meditators outperform inexperienced meditators on the attention control tasks (Flanker, Trails A & B) at baseline (pre-meditation)?
- Will both groups show improvements in performance after meditation associated with mood and physiological state changes?
- Will the experienced meditators show an overall mood profile of higher positive mood states and less negative mood states (Brunel Mood Scale subscale difference) at baseline (pre-meditation)?
- Will both groups show mood state improvements after meditation?
- Will the experienced meditators show differences in electrophysiological characteristics compared to inexperienced meditators?
- Will inexperienced meditators exhibit shifts from their baseline resting-state EEG towards being more similar to the EEG characteristics of experienced meditators at baseline?
- Will experienced meditators demonstrate differences in P300 latencies and amplitudes on the auditory oddball paradigm.
Participants will:
- Take a series of pre-meditation surveys.
- Complete pre-meditation P300 auditory oddball task.
- Complete pre-meditation cognitive behavioral task set.
- Continuous 19-channel EEG recording before and after pre-recorded guided THM.
- Take a series of post-meditation surveys.
- Complete post-session P300 auditory oddball task.
- Complete post-session cognitive behavioral task set.
详细描述
Eighteen experienced Arhatic Yoga practitioners and 18 novice meditators were recruited for this study. Experienced meditators were recruited from a weeklong Arhatic Yoga Spiritual Retreat (July 20-28, 2024) in Bovina, NY. Inclusion to the experienced meditator sample included a minimum of 1,000 hours practice of THM as well as a current meditation practice. Inexperienced meditators were recruited in Eugene, OR, via social media and community flyers. Inclusion criteria for this sample included less than 10 hours of lifetime meditation practice. Compensation for the inexperienced group was a $30 check or paypal credit.
Screening of inclusion and exclusion criteria was completed via digital forms. Those deemed eligible completed the informed consent process, and provided more demographic information for sample characteristics.
Experimental Design
The experiment was an unblinded, control group comparison (2 x 2 factorial design) of experienced versus novice meditators groups with multimodal measurements (subjective mood questionnaire, cognitive tasks, neural/ EEG) taken before and after completion of a Twin Hearts Meditation practice. Both experienced and meditation naïve subjects underwent a structured research protocol consisting of screening, a pre-meditation assessment, a guided Twin Hearts Meditation session, and a post-meditation assessment. Sessions lasted about 90 min. The procedure was as follows:
Screening and Participant Selection. Participants completed an online screening and demographic questionnaire. Those meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were invited to participate in the research study. Eligible subjects who indicated interest were scheduled for a laboratory-based session. Informed consent procedures were provided upon arrival to the lab space ahead of conducting the remaining protocol procedures.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Na
- 干预模型
- Single Group
- 主要目的
- Basic Science
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 75 Years（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •at least 18 years of age
- •English speaking
- •capable of providing consent.
排除标准
- •history of traumatic brain injury or serious mental health concerns (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
结局指标
主要结局
Mood Differences and Changes in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
This study examines both baseline mood differences \& post-meditation mood changes between experienced \& inexperienced meditators using Brunel Mood Scale, a 32-item self-report measure designed to assess current mood states. It consists of 8 unipolar mood dimensions: anger, tension, depression, vigor, fatigue, confusion, happiness \& calmness. Participants respond to prompt "How do you feel right now?" by rating each mood descriptor on a 5-point Likert scale (0=not at all to 4=extremely), indicating intensity of their momentary emotional experience. As well as producing subscale scores, an overall Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) score can be calculated by summing the scores for Tension, Depression, Anger, Fatigue \& Confusion and then subtracting Vigor score. Higher TMD scores indicate greater overall mood disturbance, reflecting higher levels of negative emotions inversely correlated with lower positive affect. Conversely, lower scores suggest better mood balance \& emotional well-being.
Cognitive Performance in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Trail Making A Outcomes
时间窗: 5 minutes
This study examines cognitive changes using the Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A), which assesses processing speed (TMT-A) by measuring the time taken to connect a sequence of numbers. Performance metrics included the number of errors per trial and time to completion, with the latter serving as the primary performance indicator.
Cognitive Performance in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Trail Making B Outcomes
时间窗: 5 minutes
This study examines cognitive changes using the Trail Making Test-B (TMT-B) which assesses cognitive flexibility/executive function (TMT-B) by measuring the time taken to connect a sequence of alternating numbers and letters. Performance metrics included the number of errors per trial and time to completion, with the latter serving as the primary performance indicator.
Cognitive Performance in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Flanker Test Selective Attention Outcomes
时间窗: 5 minutes
This study examines cognitive changes using the Flanker Test. Participants are required to quickly identify a central target stimulus while ignoring distracting stimuli on either side, measuring their ability to maintain focus despite interference. In this study, the Flanker Task was administered using the WAVi software platform, with a total test duration of approximately five minutes. Performance metrics include the number of total errors.
Cognitive Performance in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Flanker Test Inhibitory Control Outcomes
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
This study examines baseline cognitive differences and post-meditation cognitive changes between experienced and inexperienced meditators using the Flanker Test. The Flanker test evaluates inhibitory control defined as the ability to suppress the influence of the flankers and respond correctly to the control. Participants are required to quickly identify a central target stimulus while ignoring distracting stimuli on either side, measuring their ability to maintain focus despite interference. In this study, the Flanker Task was administered using the WAVi software platform, with a total test duration of approximately five minutes. Performance metrics include the error rates for congruent and incongruent flanker trials.
P300 Event-Related Potential in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Amplitude Outcomes
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
Study examines baseline neurocognitive differences \& post-meditation changes in P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) between experienced \& inexperienced meditators, using auditory oddball paradigm to assess amount of cognitive resources used. Task consisted of 200 common tones \& 40 randomly presented rare (higher-pitched) tones, at 1 Hz. Participants pressed mouse button upon hearing rare tone. Before beginning, participants had opportunities to practice task to ensure comprehension \& accuracy. Measurements acquired \& used for analyses included p300 amplitude. Higher amplitude indicates more attention was allocated to the stimulus and suggests stronger engagement, better stimulus discrimination, and/or higher motivation.
Alpha Peak Frequency in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
This study examines baseline neurophysiological differences and post-meditation changes alpha peak frequency (APF) between experienced and inexperienced meditators. Alpha Peak Frequency (APF): Reflects the speed of intrinsic neural oscillations, with higher APF linked to greater cognitive efficiency, attentional stability, and mental flexibility.
P300 Event-Related Potential in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators: Latency Outcomes
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
Study examines baseline neurocognitive differences \& post-meditation changes in P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) between experienced \& inexperienced meditators, using auditory oddball paradigm to assess cognitive efficiency. Task consisted of 200 common tones \& 40 randomly presented rare (higher-pitched) tones, at 1 Hz. Participants pressed mouse button upon hearing rare tone. Before beginning, participants had opportunities to practice task to ensure comprehension \& accuracy. Measurements acquired \& used for analyses included p300 latency. Latency refers to the time delay, in milliseconds, between presentation of a target stimulus and peak of the P300 wave. It reflects the speed of stimulus evaluation \& decision-making processes. Shorter P300 latencies indicate faster cognitive processing, whereas longer latencies are associated with delayed neural responses, often observed in people with cognitive impairments or attentional deficits.
Frontal Asymmetry in Experienced vs. Inexperienced Meditators
时间窗: the 25 minutes of the pre-recorded meditation
This study examines baseline neurophysiological differences and post-meditation changes in EEG frontal asymmetry, between experienced and inexperienced meditators. These measures provide insights into cognitive flexibility, attentional control, emotional regulation, and meditation-induced neural adaptations. Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA): Measures relative left vs. right frontal alpha power, where greater rightward asymmetry is associated with approach motivation and positive affect, while leftward asymmetry is linked to withdrawal tendencies and negative mood.
次要结局
未报告次要终点