Researchers utilising intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from deep brain regions have discovered that meditation alters the amygdala and hippocampus, which are crucial for emotional regulation and memory. This significant finding was part of a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published on February 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study highlights the potential of meditation to positively impact areas of the brain associated with memory and emotional control, providing a scientific basis for developing meditation-based therapeutic approaches.
Historically, meditation, which involves a series of mental techniques to enhance focus and awareness, has been shown to improve mental well-being and aid in the treatment of psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Previous research has linked meditation to changes in brain activity, but the specific neural activities that underpin the beneficial effects of meditation have remained elusive. This gap in understanding has spurred further scientific inquiry into the mechanisms by which meditation influences brain function.
Christina Maher, a neuroscience PhD student at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine and the first author of the paper explains the unique approach of their study: “Traditionally, it has been challenging to study these deep limbic brain regions in humans using standard methods like scalp EEG. Our team overcame this challenge by leveraging data collected from a unique patient population—epilepsy patients with surgically implanted devices that allow for chronic EEG recording from electrodes implanted deep in the amygdala and hippocampus.” She described the discovery of changes in brain wave activity during a participant’s first meditation session as “quite amazing.”
The research involved eight neurosurgical patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who were fitted with a responsive neurostimulation system. These individuals, novice meditators before the study, participated in a structured meditation session that included five minutes of audio-guided instruction followed by ten minutes of loving-kindness meditation—a practice focused on fostering thoughts of well-being for oneself and others. To assess the effectiveness of the meditation, participants reported their depth of meditation on a scale of 1-10 post-session, with the average score being a notable 7.43.
Ignacio Saez, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, and Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine and the senior author of the paper, highlighted the specific changes observed: “Loving kindness meditation is associated with changes in the strength and duration of certain types of brain waves called beta and gamma waves. These kinds of brain waves are affected in mood disorders like depression and anxiety, so the possibility of being able to willfully control these through meditation is pretty amazing, and may help explain the positive impact that these practices have on individuals.”
The study is distinguished by its use of advanced invasive neural recording techniques, which provide a much more detailed and precise insight into brain activity than traditional methods like scalp EEG. Conducted in the Quantitative Biometrics Laboratory at Mount Sinai West, the study’s setting—a lab designed to mimic a natural, relaxing environment—enhances its ecological validity by reflecting conditions more typical of real-world meditation settings. Despite the promising results, the researchers acknowledged limitations such as the small sample size and the focus on single-session effects without long-term follow-up.
“This study provides a foundation for future research that could contribute to developing meditation-based interventions to help individuals modulate brain activity in areas involved in memory and emotional regulation,” said Dr. Saez. “Meditation is noninvasive, widely accessible, and doesn’t require specialised equipment or medical resources, making it an easy-to-use tool for improving mental well-being. However, it is crucial to note that meditation is not a replacement for traditional therapies. Instead, it could serve as a complementary low-cost option for individuals experiencing challenges with memory or emotional regulation.” The Mount Sinai research team plans to conduct follow-up studies exploring the relationship between the brain activity observed and mood/mental health outcomes, aiming to gather more data on how ongoing meditation impacts mental well-being in real-world, long-term settings.
More information: Christina Maher et al, Intracranial substrates of meditation-induced neuromodulation in the amygdala and hippocampus, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.240942312
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Provided by The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
