Electrophysiological correlates of dispositional mindfulness

A quantitative and complexity EEG study

Bibliographic Data

ID5267719
AuthorsNuria Victoria Aguerre (0000-0001-7322-4687, Department of Experimental Psychology – Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC) University of Granada Granada Spain, corresponding author), Carlos J Gómez-Ariza (0000-0001-5889-7533, Department of Psychology University of Jaén Jaén Spain), Antonio José Ibáñez‐molina (0000-0001-6673-0012, Department of Psychology University of Jaén Jaén Spain), María-Teresa Bajo (0000-0003-2996-8261, Department of Experimental Psychology – Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC) University of Granada Granada Spain)
Year2023
Volume114
Issue3
Pages566-579
Publication date2023-08-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjop.12636
PMID36748402
OpenAlexW4319333622
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited83

While growing evidence supports that dispositional mindfulness relates to psychological health and cognitive enhancement, to date there have been only a few attempts to characterize its neural underpinnings. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the electrophysiological (EEG) signature of dispositional mindfulness using quantitative and complexity measures of EEG during resting state and while performing a learning task. Hundred twenty participants were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and underwent 5 min eyes-closed resting state and 5 min at task EEG recording. We hypothesized that high mindfulness individuals would show patterns of brain activity related to (a) lower involvement of the default mode network (DMN) at rest (reduced frontal gamma power) and (b) a state of 'task readiness' reflected in a more similar pattern from rest to task (reduced overall q-EEG power at rest but not at task), as compared to their low mindfulness counterparts. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly linked to reduced frontal gamma power at rest and lower overall power during rest but not at task. In addition, we found a trend towards higher entropy during task performance in mindful individuals, which has recently been reported during mindfulness meditation. Altogether, our results add to those from expert meditators to show that high (dispositional) mindfulness seems to have a specific electrophysiological pattern characteristic of less involvement of the DMN and mind-wandering processes

Audiology · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Default mode network · Developmental psychology · Electroencephalography · Electrophysiology · Meditation · Mind-wandering · Mindfulness · Resting state fMRI · Task (project management) · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Clinical Psychology · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Neuroscience · Psychology · Sleep and Wakefulness Research

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