Scholarlink

Objectives <p>We aimed to quantify the effects of advanced meditation on brain electrical activity during sleep. This investigation addresses the need for objective neurophysiological measures of meditation’s potential impact on brain aging and health.</p> Method <p>This study was a single-site, prospective cohort study (conducted August 25, 2021, through September 26, 2021) of meditators attending the “Samyama Sadhana” retreat (September 1–5, 2021). Two healthy comparison groups and four comparison groups with varying degrees of age-related brain pathology are included. Using overnight electroencephalography, physiological measures of brain age were derived and subtracted from chronological age, measuring the deviation of apparent brain age from chronological age.</p> Results <p>Thirty-four participants completed the study (average age = 38&#xa0;years; 36% female). Estimated brain age index after adjustment by matching: meditators (<i>n</i> = 34), − 5.9&#xa0;years (<i>SE</i> = 0.94&#xa0;years, <i>t</i>-test<i> p</i> &lt; 0.001); Dreem healthy controls (<i>n</i> = 1077), − 0.24 (0.61, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001); Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) healthy controls (<i>n</i> = 112), 0.55 (0.92, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05); MGH “no dementia” (<i>n</i> = 7618), 2.4 (0.094, reference cohort for <i>t</i>-test); MGH “symptomatic” (<i>n</i> = 697), 2.0 (0.33, <i>p</i> &gt; 0.05); MGH “mild cognitive impairment (MCI)”(<i>n</i> = 205), 8.8 (2.8, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05); and MGH “dementia” (<i>n</i> = 153), 10.5 (2.8, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01).</p> Conclusions <p>Long-term meditators exhibit lower brain age relative to matched control groups. This study suggests that advanced meditation enhances brain health.</p> Preregistration <p>This study was not preregistered.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Sleep-Based Brain Age Is Reduced in Advanced Inner Engineering Meditators

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月16日

查看全文
  • Jayme C. Banks,
  • Sepideh Hariri,
  • Kestutis Kveraga,
  • An Ouyang,
  • Kaileigh Gallagher,
  • Syed A. Quadri,
  • Ryan A. Tesh,
  • Preeti Upadhyay Reed,
  • Robert J. Thomas,
  • M. Brandon Westover,
  • Haoqi Sun,
  • Balachundhar Subramaniam

摘要

Objectives

We aimed to quantify the effects of advanced meditation on brain electrical activity during sleep. This investigation addresses the need for objective neurophysiological measures of meditation’s potential impact on brain aging and health.

Method

This study was a single-site, prospective cohort study (conducted August 25, 2021, through September 26, 2021) of meditators attending the “Samyama Sadhana” retreat (September 1–5, 2021). Two healthy comparison groups and four comparison groups with varying degrees of age-related brain pathology are included. Using overnight electroencephalography, physiological measures of brain age were derived and subtracted from chronological age, measuring the deviation of apparent brain age from chronological age.

Results

Thirty-four participants completed the study (average age = 38 years; 36% female). Estimated brain age index after adjustment by matching: meditators (n = 34), − 5.9 years (SE = 0.94 years, t-test p < 0.001); Dreem healthy controls (n = 1077), − 0.24 (0.61, p < 0.001); Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) healthy controls (n = 112), 0.55 (0.92, p < 0.05); MGH “no dementia” (n = 7618), 2.4 (0.094, reference cohort for t-test); MGH “symptomatic” (n = 697), 2.0 (0.33, p > 0.05); MGH “mild cognitive impairment (MCI)”(n = 205), 8.8 (2.8, p < 0.05); and MGH “dementia” (n = 153), 10.5 (2.8, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Long-term meditators exhibit lower brain age relative to matched control groups. This study suggests that advanced meditation enhances brain health.

Preregistration

This study was not preregistered.