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Neural correlates of nonjudgmental perception induced through meditation
Author(s) -
Katyal Sucharit,
Goldin Philippe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.14603
Subject(s) - meditation , binocular rivalry , perception , psychology , neurocognitive , electroencephalography , cognitive psychology , sensory system , neural correlates of consciousness , visual perception , audiology , neuroscience , cognition , medicine , philosophy , theology
Ambiguous sensory stimuli provide insight into the dynamics of the human mind. When viewing substantially different images in the two eyes (i.e., binocular rivalry (BR)), perception spontaneously fluctuates between the two images along with patch‐like mixtures of the two, with limited ability to control such fluctuations. Previous studies have shown that long‐term meditation training can enable a more stable perception by reducing such fluctuations. Using electroencephalography, we investigated the neural bases of perceptual stabilization in long‐term meditators (LTMs) and age‐matched meditation‐naive control participants. We measured BR alternations before and after participants practiced meditation. We expected that perceptual stabilization through meditation could occur via one of two neurocognitive mechanisms: (1) a more engaged/effortful attention reflected by increased long‐range phase synchronization between early visual sensory and higher‐level brain regions, or (2) a disengaged/nonevaluative form of attention reflected by decreased phase synchronization. We found that compared with control participants, LTMs were in a significantly longer mixed perceptual state following concentrative meditation practice. The increase in mixed percepts across individuals was strongly correlated with reduced parietal–occipital gamma‐band (30–50 Hz) phase synchrony. These findings suggest that concentrative meditation enables a nonevaluative perceptual stance supported by reduced communication between hierarchical visual brain regions.