Cited by 1,328Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsNeural dynamics and brain functionTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice

Open access

Lutz, Antoine, Greischar, Lawrence L., Rawlings, Nancy B., Ricard, Matthieu, Davidson, Richard J.·2004·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI 10.1073/pnas.0407401101PMC PMC526201

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Practitioners understand “meditation,” or mental training, to be a process of familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in cognition and emotion. Little is known about this process and its impact on the brain. Here we find that long-term Buddhist practitioners self-induce sustained electroencephalographic high-amplitude gamma-band oscillations and phase-synchrony during meditation. These electroencephalogram patterns differ from those of controls, in particular over lateral frontoparietal electrodes. In addition, the ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 Hz) to slow oscillatory activity (4-13 Hz) is initially higher in the resting baseline before meditation for the practitioners than the controls over medial frontoparietal electrodes. This difference increases sharply during meditation over most of the scalp electrodes and remains higher than the initial baseline in the postmeditation baseline. These data suggest that mental training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce short-term and long-term neural changes.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.0407401101

Cites

33 of 33 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

The use of fast Fourier transform for the estimation of power spectra: A method based on time averaging over short, modified periodograms
Welch, P. D. (1967) · IEEE Transactions on Audio and Electroacoustics · doi:10.1109/tau.1967.1161901 · Cited by 12,363
The Organization of Behavior; A Neuropsychological Theory.
Attneave, F., B., M., & Hebb, D. O. (1950) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1418888 · Cited by 5,146
The brainweb: phase synchronization and large-scale integration
Varela, F., Lachaux, J.-P., Rodriguez, E., & Martinerie, J. (2001) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35067550 · Cited by 4,761
Handbook of Psychophysiology
(2001) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511546396 · Cited by 4,482
Searching for a baseline: Functional imaging and the resting human brain
Gusnard, D. A., & Raichle, M. E. (2001) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35094500 · Cited by 3,371
Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., Urbanowski, F., Harrington, A., Bonus, K., & Sheridan, J. F. (2003) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000077505.67574.e3 · Cited by 2,925
Self-citation
Modulation of Oscillatory Neuronal Synchronization by Selective Visual Attention
Fries, P., Reynolds, J. H., Rorie, A. E., & Desimone, R. (2001) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1055465 · Cited by 2,786
Spherical splines for scalp potential and current density mapping
Perrin, F., Pernier, J., Bertrand, O., & Echallier, J. F. (1989) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/0013-4694(89)90180-6 · Cited by 2,706
Neuronal Synchrony: A Versatile Code for the Definition of Relations?
Singer, W. (1999) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80821-1 · Cited by 2,581
Perception's shadow: long-distance synchronization of human brain activity
Rodriguez, E., George, N., Lachaux, J.-P., Martinerie, J., Renault, B., & Varela, F. J. (1999) · Nature · doi:10.1038/17120 · Cited by 1,915

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 34 references

1 of the 34 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

Lutz, A. & Thompson, E. (2003) J. Conscious. Stud. 10, 31-52.

Sorted by citations

Items 501–600 of 1,000

Meditation-induced modulation of brain response to transcranial magnetic stimulation
Bodart, O., Fecchio, M., Massimini, M., Wannez, S., Virgillito, A., Casarotto, S., Rosanova, M., Antoine Lutz, A., Ricard, M., Laureys, S., et al. (2018) · Brain stimulation · doi:10.1016/j.brs.2018.08.018 · Cited by 16
“However, these findings are relevant because they extend the use of TMS-EEG to the study of changes of the content of consciousness within the range of eye-opened wakefulness and because they corroborate and complement, by a causal and perturbational perspective, previous results obtained by means of spontaneous EEG r…”
Self-citation
A Brief Review of the EEG Literature on Mindfulness and Fear Extinction and its Potential Implications for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS)
Kummar, A. S., Correia, H., & Fujiyama, H. (2019) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci9100258 · Cited by 16
“[86] found a ratio between gamma and theta activity, whereby, in contrast to controls, long-term practitioners were found to display a higher ratio of gamma to low frequency bands (i.”
Background
Classifying Oscillatory Signatures of Expert vs NonExpert Meditators
Pandey, P., & Miyapuram, K. P. (2020) · International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN) · doi:10.1109/ijcnn48605.2020.9207340 · Cited by 16
How Mindfulness Training May Help to Reduce Vulnerability for Recurrent Depression
Barnhofer, T., Huntenburg, J. M., Lifshitz, M., Wild, J., Antonova, E., & Margulies, D. S. (2015) · Clinical Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/2167702615595036 · Cited by 18
“Evidence has suggested that meditation practice may help induce increased plasticity in the brain (Lutz & Greischar, 2004), and intensive meditation practice has been shown to be associated with structural changes in key areas implicated in the regulation of attention and emotion (K. C. Fox et al.,…”
Background
Mind-body-spirituality
Walach, H. (2007) · Cited by 16
Introduction: Toward a Theory of Attention That Includes Effortless Attention and Action
Bruya, B. J. (2010) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262013840.003.0001 · Cited by 18
A Mindful Approach to Teaching Emotional Intelligence to Undergraduate Students Online and in Person.
Cotler, J. L., DiTursi, D., Goldstein, I., Yates, J. L., & DelBelso, D. (2017) · Information Systems Education Journal · Cited by 16
Potential role of self-induced EEG fast oscillations in predisposition to seizures in meditators
Jaseja, H. (2010) · Epilepsy & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2009.10.022 · Cited by 16
Dreamless Sleep, the Embodied Mind, and Consciousness: The Relevance of a Classical Indian Debate to Cognitive SciencePreprint
Thompson, E. T. (2017) · MindRxiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31231/osf.io/d9gqa · Cited by 19
Neural dynamics of mindfulness meditation and hypnosis explored with intracranial EEG: A feasibility study
Bauer, P. R., Sabourdy, C., Chatard, B., Rheims, S., Lachaux, J.-P., Vidal, J. R., & Antoine Lutz, A. (2021) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136345 · Cited by 16
Analysis of Meditation vs. Sensory Engaged Brain States Using Shannon Entropy and Pearson’s First Skewness Coefficient Extracted from EEG Data
Davis, J. J. J., Kozma, R., & Schübeler, F. (2023) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s23031293 · Cited by 15
“Further, other bands may be involved in meditative states, as described by [8] in studies with experienced Buddhist meditators,”
Background
Current trends and challenges in EEG research on meditation and mindfulness
Barrows, P. D., Gordon, W. V., & Gilbert, P. (2024) · Discover Psychology · doi:10.1007/s44202-024-00269-5 · Cited by 16
“In an initial study comparing eight long-term Metta meditators with ten student volunteers, Lutz et al. [105] examined high-density EEG characteristics at high temporal resolution to study activity and phase synchrony across frontal, temporal and parietal ROIs.”
Influential
Engineering Kindness
Mason, C. L. (2015) · International Journal of Synthetic Emotions · doi:10.4018/ijse.2015010101 · Cited by 15
Training attention for conscious non-REM sleep: The yogic practice of yoga-nidrā and its implications for neuroscience research
Parker, S. (2019) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.016 · Cited by 15
Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) modulates brain-heart connection: An EEG case study
Wong, G. F., Sun, R., Adler, J., Yeung, K. W., Yu, S., & Gao, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2022.891377 · Cited by 15
“It has been reported that experienced meditators can significantly change their brain activities, especially during compassion meditation (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
A cross-sectional evaluation of meditation experience on electroencephalography data by artificial neural network and support vector machine classifiers
Lee, Y.-H., Hsieh, Y., Shiah, Y., Lin, Y.-H., Chen, C.-Y., Tyan, Y., GengQiu, J., Hsu, C., & Chen, S. C.-J. (2017) · Medicine · doi:10.1097/md.0000000000006612 · Cited by 15
“In this study, although ANN and SVM provide a sensitive technique to identify the meditation experience in presenting meditators, other types of meditation practice (compassion meditation for example)([42]) still challenge the performance of the classifier.”
Method
Putting Social Psychology into Serious Games
Baldwin, M. W., & Dandeneau, S. (2009) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2009.00185.x · Cited by 15
QEEG studies of the acute effects of the visionary tryptamine DMT.
Acosta‐Urquidi, J. (2015) · Cosmos and history · doi:10.13140/rg.2.1.4069.4248 · Cited by 14
Reimagining Education: The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment
Duraiappah, A. K., van Atteveldt, N., Buil, J. M., Singh, K., & Wu, R. (2022) · doi:10.56383/jofk3902 · Cited by 15
Untitled work
Graben, B. (2014) · doi:10.1007/s12124-010-9117-8 · Cited by 14
“The application of downward causation to explain phenomena in healthy individuals ( Lutz et al. 2004 ) has shown, for example, that meditation significantly increases large-scale neuronal synchronization, particularly in the case of professional meditators (Fig. 1). This study reports a high correlation between an inc…”
BackgroundMethod
Progressive increase of high-frequency EEG oscillations during meditation is associated with its trait effects on heart rate and proteomics: a study on the Tibetan Buddhist
Guo, X., Wang, M., Wang, X., Guo, M., Xue, T., Wang, Z., Li, H., Xu, T., He, B., Cui, D., et al. (2021) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhab453 · Cited by 15
Childhood maltreatment and impulsivity in offenders: Examining the mediating roles of self-compassion and cognitive reappraisal
Zhong, H., Li, H., Zhang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Y., & Zhao, J. (2022) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105847 · Cited by 19
Meditating in a neurofeedback virtual reality: effects on sense of presence, meditation depth and brain oscillations
Salminen, M., Järvelä, S., Kosunen, I., Ruonala, A., Hamari, J., Ravaja, N., & Jacucci, G. (2023) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2023.2258231 · Cited by 14
“There are some studies suggesting increased gamma band (30 – 45 Hz) activity during meditation practice (e.g. Cahn and Polich 2006; Lehmann et al. 2001; Lutz et al. 2004; Travis and Shear 2010).”
The Mindful Brain at Rest: Neural Oscillations and Aperiodic Activity in Experienced Meditators
McQueen, B., Murphy, O. W., Fitzgerald, P. B., & Bailey, N. W. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02461-z · Cited by 14
“In relation to meditation practice, greater gamma activity has been found in meditators compared to non-meditators when actively engaged in a meditative state (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Too Much or Not Enough of a Good Thing?: Reconciling Differing Perspectives on the Optimal Dose of Mindfulness Meditation and Advancing a Dose-Response Research Agenda
Bowles, N. I., Davies, J. N., Strohmaier, S., Galante, J., & Van Dam, N. T. (2026) · Journal of Contemplative Studies · doi:10.57010/caxs3076 · Cited by 14
AN ANALOGUE STUDY OF LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION AS A BUFFER AGAINST SOCIAL STRESS
Law, R. W. (2011) · Cited by 14
Does meditation predispose to epilepsy? EEG studies of expert meditators self-inducing simple partial seizures
Nicholson, P. T. (2005) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2005.09.023 · Cited by 14
The utility of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions in the time of COVID-19: A theoretical proposition and systematic review of the relevant prison, quarantine and lockdown literature
Bursky, M., Kosuri, M., Walsh Carson, K., Babad, S., Iskhakova, A., & Nikulina, V. (2023) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941211048734 · Cited by 13
“One further theory as to how meditation may increase cortical thickness and functional connectivity is that increased synchronous firing of neurons contributes to strengthening synaptic connectivity and induces neural plastic changes (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
Knock yourself out: Brief mindfulness-based meditation eliminates self-prioritization
Golubickis, M., Tan, L., Saini, S., Catterall, K., Morozovaite, A., Khasa, S., & Macrae, C. N. (2022) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/s13423-022-02111-2 · Cited by 14
“Compared with novice practitioners, experienced meditators display improved attentional functioning, reduced emotional reactivity, and heightened cognitive flexibility (Goleman & Davidson, 2017; Jha et al., 2007; Lutz et al., 2004; Moore & Malinowski, 2009).”
Background
Resting State Dynamics in People with Varying Degrees of Anxiety and Mindfulness: A Nonlinear and Nonstationary Perspective
Jaiswal, S., Huang, S.-L., Juan, C.-H., Huang, N. E., & Liang, W. (2023) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.03.012 · Cited by 13
Relaxed Alertness in Novice and Advanced Meditators – A Neurophysiological and Psychological Study of Isha Yoga Practices
Malipeddi, S., Sasidharan, A., Ravindra, P. N., Mehrotra, S., John, J. P., & Kutty, B. M. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02466-8 · Cited by 12
“Finally, an emerging body of literature shows greater gamma power only in experienced meditators, indicating greater attention, moment-to-moment awareness, and perceptual clarity (Braboszcz et al., 2017; Cahn et al., 2010; Fell et al., 2010; Lutz et al., 2004; Sylapan et al., 2020).”
Mechanism of Action for Nonpharmacological Therapies for Individuals With Dementia: Implications for Practice and Research
Burgener, S. C., Jao, Y., Anderson, J. G., & Bossen, A. (2015) · Research in Gerontological Nursing · doi:10.3928/19404921-20150429-02 · Cited by 13
“Positive neurophysiological outcomes included higher gamma-band activity in the medial frontoparietal lobes on EEG in advanced practitioners compared to controls (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
Jesuit Values, Ignatian Pedagogy, and Service Learning: Catalysts for Transcendence and Transformation Via Action Research
Streetman, H. D. (2015) · ePublications at Regis University (Regis University) · Cited by 13
Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Proactivity
Akın, Ü. (2014) · International Online Journal of Educational Sciences · doi:10.15345/iojes.2014.01.011 · Cited by 13
Using Neurofeedback and Mindfulness Pedagogies to Teach Open Listening
Schaefer, E. E. (2018) · Computers & composition/Computers and composition · doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2018.07.002 · Cited by 15
New beginnings: evidence that the meditational regimen can lead to optimization of perception, attention, cognition, and other functions.
Bushell, W. C. (2009) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04960.x · Cited by 12
Compassion‐based interventions in Asian communities: A meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials
Kariyawasam, L., Ononaiye, M. S. P., Irons, C., & Kirby, S. E. (2022) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12431 · Cited by 20
“…self- compassion can reduce interpersonal problems and psychological distress (Mak et al., 2018; Schanche et al., 2011), personal pathology and psychiatric symptoms including stress (e.g. Lutz et al., 2004, 2008), depression (Shapira & Mongrain, 2010) and anxiety (e.g. Van Dam et al., 2011).”
Background
FIRECARE: An Evidence-Based Prevention Program to Reduce Burnout among Prehospital Caregivers: Benefits of a Combined Mindfulness, Heart Coherence Training, and Positive Psychology Intervention
Giaume, L., Jimenez, A., Kedzierewicz, R., Jost, D., Pery, M., Trouvé, J., Burlaton, G., Travers, S., Prunet, B., & Trousselard, M. (2023) · Prehospital Emergency Care · doi:10.1080/10903127.2023.2258204 · Cited by 14
“The literature suggests that the meditative practice should be consistent to be efficient and have an effect on brain plasticity (37, 38).”
Background
Short-term meditation modulates EEG activity in subjects with post-traumatic residual disabilities
Hata, M., Hayashi, N., Ishii, R., Canuet, L., Pascual-Marqui, R. D., Aoki, Y., Ikeda, S., Sakamoto, T., Iwata, M., Kimura, K., et al. (2019) · Clinical Neurophysiology Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cnp.2019.01.003 · Cited by 13
“For instance, significant enhanced gamma power has been demonstrated in a study of expert Buddhist meditators (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
Effect of meditation on intracerebral EEG in a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy: A case report
Arnaud Delorme, A., Grandchamp, R., Curot, J., Barragan‐Jason, G., Denuelle, M., Sol, J., & Valton, L. (2020) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2020.11.005 · Cited by 12
Neuronal oscillations and the mouse prefrontal cortex
Jung, F., & Carlén, M. (2021) · International review of neurobiology · doi:10.1016/bs.irn.2020.11.005 · Cited by 12
Enhanced dehydroepiandrosterone levels are positively correlated with N3 sleep stage in long-term mindfulness meditation practitioners
Nagendra, R. P., Sathyaprabha, T. N., & Kutty, B. M. (2022) · Sleep Science · doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20220039 · Cited by 12
Le corps en acte
Berthoz, A., & Andrieu, B. (2010) · Presses universitaires de Nancy eBooks · Cited by 12
Mindfulness and Psychological Status of Japanese Yoga Practitioners: a Cross-Sectional Study
Miyata, H., Okanoya, K., & Kawai, N. (2014) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-014-0288-0 · Cited by 13
On spirituality and education
Hogan, M. (2009) · Thinking Skills and Creativity · doi:10.1016/j.tsc.2009.06.001 · Cited by 12
“…non-referential compassion, projecting a profound feeling of love upon “everything” and “no (specific) thing”, and this practice fosters a highly integrated brain electrical state that is correlated with a unified sensory–motor experience (Cahn & Polich, 2006; Hogan, 2006; Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
Pain Modulation by Meditation and Electroacupuncture in Experimental Submaximum Effort Tourniquet Technique (SETT)
Choi, K., Rampp, T., Saha, F. J., Dobos, G., & Musial, F. (2011) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2011.04.004 · Cited by 12
Neural Correlates of Mindfulness and Concentration in Buddhist Monks: A fMRI study
Raffone, A., Manna, A., Perrucci, M. G., Ferretti, A., Gratta, C. D., Belardinelli, M. O., & Romani, G. L. (2007) · Joint Meeting of International Symposium on Noninvasive Functional Source Imaging of Brain and Heart and International Conference on Functional Biomedical Imaging · doi:10.1109/nfsi-icfbi.2007.4387740 · Cited by 12
The Relationship between the Practice of Sitting and Silent Meditation and Psychological Well-Being and the Effects of Personality Traits
Menezes, C. B., & Dell’Aglio, D. D. (2010) · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cited by 11
The Effect Of Loving-kindness Meditation On Empathy, Perceived Social Support, And Problem-solving Appraisal In Counseling Students
Leppma, M. (2011) · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · Cited by 12
Increased Entropy of Gamma Oscillations in the Frontal Region during Meditation
Kumar, G. P., Sharma, K., Ramakrishnan, A. G., & Adarsh, A. (2021) · Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) · doi:10.1109/embc46164.2021.9629633 · Cited by 10
“Our findings are consistent with increased gamma synchronization during meditative states [15] and increased sample entropy in”
BackgroundResult
Die Bedeutung achtsamkeitsbasierter Interventionen in der medizinischen und psychotherapeutischen Versorgung
Ernst, S. E., Esch, S. M., & Esch, T. (2009) · Forschende Komplementärmedizin / Research in Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1159/000235795 · Cited by 13
Meditation, mindfulness and mental health
Kelly, B. D. (2008) · Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0790966700010752 · Cited by 12
“In addition, long-term meditators not only self-induce high-amplitude electroencephalographic gamma-band oscillations and phase-synchrony during meditation, but also have a higher ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 hertz) to slow oscillatory activity (4-13 hertz) over medial frontoparietal electrodes when they are no…”
Background
A single case design to examine short-term intracranial EEG patterns during focused meditation
Colgan, D. D., Memmott, T., Klee, D., Ernst, L. D. L., Han, S. J., & Oken, B. (2019) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134441 · Cited by 12
Exploring the neurophysiology of affect during human-media interaction
Mühl, C. (2012) · doi:10.3990/1.9789036533621 · Cited by 12
Brain-computer interfaces in digital mindfulness training for metacognitive, emotional and attention regulation skills: a literature review
Mitsea, E., Drigas, A. S., & Skianis, C. A. (2023) · Research Society and Development · doi:10.33448/rsd-v12i3.40247 · Cited by 12
“Effects of mindfulness practices on brain activity Recent studies reveal that contemplative practices have an immediate and visible impact on practitioners’ brainwaves providing new knowledge about the impact of mind-training practices on brain activity (Braboszcz et al., 2017; Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
A therapeutic small molecule enhances γ-oscillations and improves cognition/memory in Alzheimer’s disease model mice
Wei, X., Campagna, J. J., Jagodzinska, B. M., Wi, D., Cohn, W., Lee, J. T., Zhu, C., Huang, C., Molnár, L., Houser, C. R., et al. (2024) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2400420121 · Cited by 15
“There are no specific drugs known to enhance γ-oscillations in humans, but a learned compassion meditation state has been reported to significantly enhance these oscillations (81).”
A neuroscience perspective on the plasticity of the social and relational brain
Singer, T. (2025) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.15319 · Cited by 18
“174,175,181 Similarly, after having investigated the neuronal underpinnings of empathy and their modulating factors, 48,130,135,136 our lab got interested in exploring the malleability of these social emotions through explicit mental training and invited first a long-term meditator,…”
A Model of Our Contemplative Nature
Kaufman, J. A. (2015) · Ecopsychology · doi:10.1089/eco.2015.0014 · Cited by 13
“…primarily but not exclusively by the prefrontal cortex (Suchy, 2009), attentional processing appears responsive to a variety of contemplative interventions (see Lutz et al., 2008; MacLean et al., 2010; Raffone & Srinivasan, 2010; and especially Brefczynski-Lewis et al., 2007; Lutz et al., 2004).”
Lucid Loop: Exploring the Parallels between Immersive Experiences and Lucid Dreaming
Kitson, A., Muntean, R., DiPaola, S., & Riecke, B. E. (2022) · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · doi:10.1145/3532106.3533538 · Cited by 11
“Prior work alluded to the signifcant role that γ brain waves play for both focused attention [46, 82] and lucid dreaming [28, 50, 84].”
Background
Open monitoring meditation alters the EEG gamma coherence in experts meditators: The expert practice exhibit greater right intra-hemispheric functional coupling
Tanaka, G. K., Russell, T. A., Bittencourt, J., Marinho, V., Teixeira, S. S., Bastos, V. H., Gongora, M., Ramim, M., Budde, H., Alves, D. D. P. A., et al. (2022) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2022.103354 · Cited by 12
Nonlinear brain correlates of trait self-boundarylessness
Lindström, L., Goldin, P. R., Mårtensson, J., & Cardeña, E. (2023) · Neuroscience of Consciousness · doi:10.1093/nc/niad006 · Cited by 12
Communicating with Compassion: The Exploratory Factor Analysis and Primary Validation Process of the Compassionate Communication Scale
Salazar, L. R. (2013) · Cited by 11
Cultivating focus: insights from dedicated yoga practice and the implications for mental health and well-being
Halsall, T., Werthner, P., & Forneris, T. (2015) · Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2015.1099562 · Cited by 11
Human Computer Interaction Meets Psychophysiology: A Critical Perspective
Spapé, M., Filetti, M., Eugster, M. J. A., Jacucci, G., & Ravaja, N. (2015) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24917-9_16 · Cited by 11
“The higher frequencies (30Hz—200Hz), meanwhile, are of considerable interest for people interested in consciousness [23], meditation [24] and neurofeedback [25] but as illustrated in Fig.”
Background
Multimodal Sustained Attention Superiority in Concentrative Meditators Compared to Nonmeditators
Badart, P., McDowall, J., & Prime, S. L. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0822-y · Cited by 11
Yoga Nidrā: An Opportunity for Collaboration to Extend the Science of Sleep States
Parker, S. (2017) · Sleep and Vigilance · doi:10.1007/s41782-017-0026-5 · Cited by 11
“[29] suggest the possibility that the state of turīya may result in the production of brain waves in the ultra-gamma (25–42 Hz) range at the other end of the spectrum.”
Background
Atypical Anxiety-Related Amygdala Reactivity and Functional Connectivity in Sant Mat Meditation
Chen, C., Chen, Y., Chen, K.-L., & Cheng, Y. (2018) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00298 · Cited by 12
Evolution from four mental states to the highest state of consciousness: A neurophysiological basis of meditation as defined in yoga texts
Singh, D., Nagendra, H. R., Budhi, R. B., & Visweswaraiah, N. K. (2019) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.029 · Cited by 13
Self-regulated critical brain dynamics originate from high frequency-band activity in the MEG
Dürschmid, S., Reichert, C., Walter, N., Hinrichs, H., Heinze, H., Ohl, F. W., Tononi, G., & Deliano, M. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0233589 · Cited by 10
Gods, Gains, and Genes
Vaas, R. (2009) · The frontiers collection · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-00128-4_3 · Cited by 11
A Buddhist Theory of Organizational Leadership
Kriger, M. P., & Dhiman, S. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-62163-0_53 · Cited by 11
Enhanced Communication by Developing a Non-anxious Presence: A Key Attribute for the Successful Veterinarian
Strand, E. B. (2006) · Journal of Veterinary Medical Education · doi:10.3138/jvme.33.1.65 · Cited by 12
Happiness, Well-being and Sustainability
Musikanski, L., Phillips, R., Bradbury, J., de Graaf, J., & Bliss, C. L. (2020) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003043232 · Cited by 12
Navigating the 'Zen Zeitgeist': The Potential of Personalized Neurofeedback for MeditationPreprint
Brandmeyer, T., Simmons, R., & Reggente, N. (2023) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/x23me · Cited by 12
Meditation induces shifts in neural oscillations, brain complexity, and critical dynamics: novel insights from MEG
Pascarella, A., Thölke, P., David Meunier, A., O’Byrne, J., Lajnef, T., Raffone, A., Guidotti, R., Pizzella, V., Marzetti, L., & Jerbi, K. (2025) · Neuroscience of Consciousness · doi:10.1093/nc/niaf047 · Cited by 13
“The observed decrease in oscillatory gamma power presents an interesting contrast with previous studies in experienced medita-tors ( Lutz et al.2004 Merlet et al. 2024), which reported an increase in gamma both globally and locally in the frontocentral and posterior regions.”
Haptics-mediated approaches for enhancing sustained attention: framework and challenges
Wang, D., Li, T., Afzal, N., Zhang, J., & Zhang, Y. (2019) · Science China Information Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11432-018-9931-1 · Cited by 10
Contemplative Neuroscience as an Approach to Volitional Consciousness
Thompson, E. (2009) · Understanding complex systems · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-03205-9_11 · Cited by 7
Dispositions Toward Flow and Mindfulness Predict Dispositional Insight
Ovington, L. A., Saliba, A. J., & Goldring, J. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0800-4 · Cited by 10
SAĞLIK KURUMLARINDA ÇALIŞAN PERSONELİN İŞ STRESİ, YORGUNLUK VE TÜKENMİŞLİK İLİŞKİSİ
KALINKARA, V., & Kalaycı, I. (2018) · Mühendislik Bilimleri ve Tasarım Dergisi · doi:10.21923/jesd.369346 · Cited by 10
Beyond mindfulness: Buddhist psychology and the Abhidharma
Kelly, B. D. (2022) · Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/19349637.2022.2081952 · Cited by 10
Trait mindful awareness predicts inter-brain coupling but not individual brain responses during naturalistic face-to-face interactions
Chen, P., Kirk, U., & Dikker, S. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.915345 · Cited by 14
Brain performance enhancement for military operators
van Erp, J. B., Reschke, S., Grootjen, M., & Brouwer, A.-M. (2009) · Cited by 10
Mindfulness and the mindful therapist: possible contributions to hypnosis
Harrer, M. E. (2009) · Contemporary Hypnosis · doi:10.1002/ch.388 · Cited by 10
A Possible Role of Prolonged Whirling Episodes on Structural Plasticity of the Cortical Networks and Altered Vertigo Perception: The Cortex of Sufi Whirling Dervishes
Çakmak, Y. Ö., Ekinci, G., Heinecke, A., & Çavdar, S. (2017) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00003 · Cited by 10
“Previous studies demonstrated that long-term meditation practice is associated with altered resting brain activity which suggests long lasting activity changes persist in the brain (Lutz et al., 2004).”
Background
Contemplative Traditions and Meditation
Kelly, B. D. (2012) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199729920.013.0020 · Cited by 10
Applied extensions of behavior principles: Applied behavioral concepts and behavioral theories
Shenk, C. E., & Vilardaga, R. (2007) · Cited by 10
Why are Mindfulness and Acceptance Central Elements for Therapeutic Change in Schema Therapy Too?
Roediger, E. (2012) · doi:10.1002/9781119962830.ch16 · Cited by 10
Understanding the role of magnetic (Fe3O4) nanoparticle to mitigate cadmium stress in radish (Raphanus sativus L.)
Aslam, A., Zahra, N., Rashid, M., Aslam, M., Hussain, T., Younas, A., Fiaz, S., Attia, K. A., & Mohammed, A. A. (2024) · Botanical studies · doi:10.1186/s40529-024-00420-4 · Cited by 9
Intracranial substrates of meditation-induced neuromodulation in the amygdala and hippocampus
Maher, C., Tortolero, L., Jun, S., Cummins, D. D., Saad, A. E., Young, J., Martinez, L. N., Schulman, Z., Marcuse, L. V., Waters, A. C., et al. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2409423122 · Cited by 10
“EEG studies, in addition, have shown increased γ activity during meditation ( 11 , 14 ), including during LKM in experienced meditators ( 3 ).”
InfluentialSelf-citation
Breathwork for Chronic Stress and Mental Health: Does Choosing a Specific Technique Matter?
Siebieszuk, A., Płoński, A. F., & Baranowski, M. (2025) · Medical Sciences · doi:10.3390/medsci13030127 · Cited by 12
Different Patterns of Sleep-Dependent Procedural Memory Consolidation in Vipassana Meditation Practitioners and Non-meditating Controls
Solomonova, E., Dubé, S., Blanchette‐Carrière, C., Sandra, D. A., Samson-Richer, A., Carr, M., Paquette, T., & Nielsen, T. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03014 · Cited by 11
Oscillating Mindfully: Using Machine Learning to Characterize Systems-Level Electrophysiological Activity During Focused Attention Meditation
Aviad, N., Moskovich, O., Orenstein, O., Benger, E., Arnaud Delorme, A., & Bernstein, A. (2024) · Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science · doi:10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100423 · Cited by 9
Effect of Meditation Program on Stress Response Reduction of the Elderly
Heo, D.-G. (2009) · The Journal of the Korea Contents Association · doi:10.5392/jkca.2009.9.3.232 · Cited by 9
The relation between psychological flexibility and the Buddhist practices of meditation, nonattachment, and self-compassion
Wendling, H. M. (2012) · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · Cited by 9
Phase synchrony in slow cortical potentials is decreased in both expert and trained novice meditators
Jo, H., Naranjo, J. R., Hinterberger, T., Winter, U., & Schmidt, S. (2019) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2019.02.035 · Cited by 10
Mindfulness Training Has Elements Common to Other Techniques
Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Lin, I. (2019) · Biofeedback · doi:10.5298/1081-5937-47.3.02 · Cited by 9
Mining the Mind: Linear Discriminant Analysis of MEG Source Reconstruction Time Series Supports Dynamic Changes in Deep Brain Regions During Meditation Sessions
Daniela Calvetti, A., Johnson, B., Pascarella, A., Pitolli, F., Somersalo, E., & Vantaggi, B. (2021) · Brain Topography · doi:10.1007/s10548-021-00874-w · Cited by 11
Moment-to-Moment Continuous Attention Fluctuation Monitoring through Consumer-Grade EEG Device
Zhang, S., Yan, Z., Sapkota, S., Zhao, S., & Ooi, W. T. (2021) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s21103419 · Cited by 10
“Linear regression [64,65] and adaptive ﬁltering, for example, require additional reference channels with the artifacts waveforms [66].”
Background
A Wireless Accelerometer-Based Body Posture Stability Detection System and Its Application for Meditation Practitioners
Chang, K.-M., Chen, S.-H., Lee, H.-Y., Ching, C. T., & Huang, C. (2012) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s121217620 · Cited by 9
“Meditation practice can improve the immune system and reduce illness [11].”
Background
Quantum theory and neuroplasticity: Implications for social theory.
Long, W. J. (2006) · Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0091268 · Cited by 9

Authors: Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Rawlings, N. B., Ricard, M., & Davidson, R. J.
Affiliations: W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, Waisman Center, and Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705; and Shechen Monastery, P.O. Box 136, Kathmandu, Nepal
University of Wisconsin System (US)
ORCID: Davidson, Richard J.
Venue: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Published: 2004-11-08
Volume: 101
Issue: 46
Pages: 16369-16373
ISSN: 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
1091-6490
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0407401101
PMC: PMC526201
OpenAlex: W2165337576
Cited by: 1,328
References: 34
Citations by year: 2026: 58 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 83 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 87 · 2016: 80 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 85 · 2013: 69 · 2012: 70
FWCI: 34.67
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Mind and Life Institute
Fondation Fyssen
National Institute of Mental Health (P50MH061083)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
Keywords: meditation, long-term meditators, Buddhist meditation, gamma oscillations, phase synchronization, mental practice, frontoparietal cortex, neuroplasticity, temporal integration, EEG
MeSH terms: Adult, Electroencephalography, Humans, Middle Aged, Case-Control Studies, Meditation

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks