Researchers have found that people who practice mindfulness meditation have different brain activity than those who never meditate. Using electroencephalography, neuroscientists have observed differences in brain wave activity in the theta, alpha, and gamma frequency ranges between meditators and non-meditators. Long-term meditation practice produces lasting changes in neural processes that may underlie the cognitive and emotional benefits associated with mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is the act of observing your breathing, body sensations, sounds around you, or your thoughts. In recent years, the method has gained popularity as a tool for combating stress, improving emotional well-being, and improving cognitive function. Mindfulness meditation has previously been shown to be associated with improved mental health and cognitive abilities, but the neurophysiological changes that provide these improvements are not fully understood. The researchers recruited 92 participants, including 48 meditators who had been practicing mindfulness for at least six months and 44 people who had not meditated or had practiced meditation minimally. During the EEG, the researchers used a new method to separate oscillatory activity from non-oscillatory background noise. The results showed significant differences between meditators and non-meditators in three of the four frequency ranges studied: theta, alpha and gamma. Large amplitudes were observed when measuring globally in all areas of the brain, as well as when examining the distribution of these brain waves throughout the head, PsyPost writes, citing a study by the Australian University. Theta brain activity, which is associated with attention and working memory, was found to be higher in those who meditated than in those who did not. The increase was greatest in the back of the brain, suggesting that neural processes associated with attention and information processing were enhanced in experienced meditators. In terms of alpha activity, meditators showed higher overall power, and activity in the frontal regions was higher than in the rest of the brain. This may indicate that meditators are better at controlling irrelevant or distracting thoughts. Gamma activity, which is associated with higher-order thinking and neural integration, was also found to be higher in the meditators. The increase was particularly noticeable in the frontal regions, suggesting possible neuroplastic changes associated with long-term meditation practice. Gamma waves are thought to play an important role in attention and integration of sensory information, suggesting that meditation may enhance these abilities over time. Interestingly, the study found no significant differences in beta activity, which is associated with alertness and arousal. Nor was there a difference in 1/f activity, a non-rhythmic measure of brain activity that reflects the balance of excitation and inhibition of neurons. The changes in meditators appear to be specific to theta, alpha, and gamma frequencies and do not indicate a general increase in brain activity across all frequency ranges. The post How Meditation Reshapes the Brain: Insights from a New Study appeared first on Anomalien.com.