Does Meditation Aid Brain and Mental Health?

By Dr. (Br.) Shyam Diwakar, India

Amma says, “Whenever you feel like it and have the time, sit in solitude, and try to visualize
everything as pure light. Look at the vast sky and try to merge in that expansiveness. Look within
and observe the thoughts and trace them back to their source. Give the mind instructions such
as, ‘O mind, why do you crave unnecessary things? You think that this will give you happiness
and satisfy you. But it is not so. Know that this will only drain your energy and give you nothing
but restlessness and unending tension. O mind, stop this wandering. Return to your source and
rest in peace.’”
A few of us at Amrita University began to research the topic of how meditation affects the
brain and body. Amma indicated that finding the answers would be not easy or straight-
forward. She said that the studies would need to be well-designed and that the data collected
must be subject to detailed analyses in order to understand the connection between brain
and mind. To help us get started, Amma indicated the characteristic features of meditation:
breath control, attention span and focus, awareness, the role of training and practice on
meditators, and the spiritual philosophy behind the system.

Neuroscience
The brain — the basis of thoughts, emotions and behaviour — is composed of electrically
excitable cells called neurons and other support cells called glia. When there is activity in
these cells, the brain generates waves or rhythms. Neuroscience researchers now measure
brain waves using sensors and electrodes placed on the scalp or directly on the brain. Patterns
of activity in the brain’s cortex generate electrical signals that can be detected as an
electroencephalogram (EEG). These signals are analyzed in terms of speed (usually recorded
in Hertz) and distinguished according to bands — slow, moderate or fast waves. Several
meditation studies use non-invasive techniques like the EEG to measure meditation readings.
Neurophysiologists classify these readings as infra-low, delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma
waves.
Infra-low waves are less than 0.5 Hertz (Hz) and are also known as slow cortical signals.
Not much is known of these waves, although they are usually associated with higher brain
functions and with how the brain circuits process timing and network functions.
Delta waves are in the 0.5 Hz – 4 Hz range and associated with deep sleep, which is linked to
healing and regeneration. Small children have been known to show delta waves during sleep.
Augmented levels of delta frequencies are also associated with deep meditation or dreamless
sleep. However, increased delta waves are also associated with certain brain abnormalities. A
2005 study by Alberto Fernández et al. in the ‘Journal of Psychiatry and Medicine’ indicated
higher delta and theta frequencies in patients with schizophrenia, a mental disorder
characterized by abnormal social behaviour and failure to understand what is real. Delta waves
were also noticeably predominant in patients with fibromyalgia, a condition affecting muscles
and soft tissues.

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 Theta frequencies (4 – 7 Hz) are associated with sleep, learning and memory. Theta rhythms
drive learning and memory processes in neural circuits. In EEGs, theta waves are associated
with drowsiness, dreaming during REM sleep and some deep meditation states, but not with
deep sleep.
Alpha waves (7 – 12 Hz) are associated with deep relaxation, usually when the eyes are
closed, or during light meditation. Some studies even indicate 10 Hz in the alpha waves as a
midpoint between quiet waking and lower or higher activities. Although alpha waves have
been associated with mental calm, in a study by Tomas Johanisson of University Hospital,
Mölndal, Sweden, alpha waves were also known to indicate extroverted and introverted
personality traits in individuals.
Beta waves (12 – 40 Hz) are often associated with alertness and a cognitive focus. In a
study by Yang et al., abnormal beta waves were associated with Parkinson’s disease. Beta
waves are also analyzed to study stress, anxiety and restlessness. While beta activity is crucial
to intellectual activity and outward focus, there may be correlations between high beta
activity and conditions such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, irritability, agitation,
insomnia, bipolar tendencies, and substance abuse.
Gamma brain waves are the fastest signals, and they correspond to higher cognitive
activity of 40 Hz or more. Psychologists and cognitive analysts associate it with intelligence,
enhanced memory, compassion and natural feelings of contentment. Low gamma waves have
been associated with people suffering from attention deficit disorders, depression and
learning disabilities.

Brain Waves and Meditation

Early neuroscience studies on meditation started with measuring brain signals using ECG. As
early as 1957, Das and Gastaut studied advanced meditators and noticed a decrease in alpha
activity in some states and an increase in beta rhythm activity. A study on Raja Yoga by Anand
et al. in 1961 also showed increased alpha wave power. A 1978 paper on a breath-control-
based meditation technique by Corby et al. suggested that meditators had higher theta and
alpha power compared to those in the control group. A 2005 study on mindfulness by Carter
et al. suggested that meditating monks showed altered perceptual rivalry. Some of the monks
who practised meditation were able to identify the variation in what is called “binocular
rivalry,” suggesting that long-term meditation changed the way in which the brain perceived
diversity. A 1988 study by Ikemi on Serene Reflection Meditation showed increase in theta
power after meditation. A 1988 study by Zhang and colleagues also showed variation in alpha
wave strengths among long- and short-term meditators. In 1989, Gaylord et al. showed that
practitioners of transcendental meditation had augmented alpha and theta frequency
coherence. Coherence is a measure of how effectively two parts of a brain link and unlink to
share information. Meditation studies have also shown that long-term meditators experience
better coherence of activity than short-term meditators. In 1996 Jacobs et al. showed that
mantra-based meditation decreases beta power, thus providing the practitioner mental
relaxation.

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 Neuroscience and biochemical studies suggest that meditation helps the brain recover
from long-term damage, and that it plays an active role in reducing stress levels. By reducing
stress levels, meditation allows the brain to focus better and augments attention capabilities.
Some evidence of how meditation alters brain maps has also been observed.

Biochemistry of Meditation
Biochemists and molecular biologists have also studied the indicators of meditative effects
through biomarkers. Biomarkers are naturally occurring molecules, genes or characteristics
by which a particular pathological or physiological process, disease, etc. can be identified. A
study of 10 volunteers by Dr. Vandana Balakrishnan et al. from the Amrita Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIMS) looked into adrenaline and cortisol (hydrocortisone) assays on student
groups practising the Integrated Amrita Meditation (IAM) technique. Cortisol is the main
hormone involved in stress and the fight-or-flight response. It is a natural and protective
response to a perceived threat or danger. Increased levels of cortisol result in a burst of new
energy and strength. The level of cortisol may indicate health problems related to the adrenal
glands or the pituitary gland. Cortisol release is observed with increased physical or emotional
stress levels in certain cases and illness in others. The body has two adrenal glands, one
located above each kidney. Hormones secreted by these endocrine glands help to regulate
many body processes. Dr. Balakrishnan et al. reported that practitioners of IAM showed
decreased stress.
Other meditation-related biochemical measurements include the study of salivary
cortisol levels, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), serotonin, gamma-amino butryic acid
(GABA), oxytocin, and salivary a-amylase, among others. In several studies, meditation has
been associated with reduced cortisol levels. Glaser et al. have shown that another
biomarker — DHEA-sulphate (DHEAS), a biological precursor of steroid-type hormones —
increased significantly in meditators, suggesting that meditation enhances mood and
calmness. In an Italian study, higher levels of DHEAS correlated with less carotid artery
thickening, and a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Another study indicated increased
serotonin levels in meditators, suggesting that meditation might be an antidote to
depression, as depressed patients showed decreased serotonin. Meditation studies have
involved increased GABA levels, which have a central role in cortical inhibition (CI),
modulating cortical excitability and neural plasticity. Not having enough of GABA has been
related to problems such as anxiety, nervousness, racing thoughts and sleeplessness.

Study on Ma-Om Meditation

Meditation is mastering the mind. Amma says, “The remote control of our mind should rest
firmly in the palm of our hand.” In its essential principles, meditation is a key element in
regulating inner control. Making the mind adaptable is a practical approach to gaining
happiness, because it allows us to remain happy, content and peaceful, regardless of what
happens in the external world.

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 Amma says “It is the nature of the mind to wander. It cannot sit quiet. When we try to
quieten the mind by concentrating on an object of meditation, we can see it wander even
more. More thoughts will come. Beginners may get frightened and sometimes feel
discouraged by these numerous thoughts that come up during meditation. These thoughts
and other tendencies of the mind have always been there, but because we were engaged in
different activities, we had no awareness of them. These thoughts and other vasanas manifest
only when we try to withdraw the mind from all external activities and concentrate on a single
point. Constant practice coupled with determination is the only way to conquer the mind.
Therefore, during such times, do not become frightened or discouraged. Continue your
spiritual practices with determination.”

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At Amrita University’s Computational Neuroscience Lab, several short- and long-term

meditators are being tested to see if Amrita meditation and yoga techniques provide health
and mental benefits. Many ashram residents meditate regularly. Many practise the Ma-Om
meditation, with Amma Herself guiding the process. The meditation varies from 15 or 30
minutes to more than an hour. It entails visualizing and contemplating the divine qualities
of Love and Light. Scientific studies of this technique are fledgling, and yet, they show
reduced decreased alpha and gamma levels and increased theta frequencies in brain
circuits. This seems to correlate to why practitioners report increased relaxation. Though
we have yet to look into coherence and oscillatory correlations in the underlying circuits,
the changes in brain wave patterns suggest that meditation has definitive roles in calming
abnormal stress and even modulating long-term brain changes.
A recent research review article by Davidson and McEwen of the University of Wisconsin-
Madison and The Rockefeller University in the journal ‘Nature’ indicates meditation
counteracts stress-related brain changes. Meditation has been known to decrease anxiety
and fear, and increase memory and cognitive abilities. A study on compassion techniques
indicated that they augmented activity in frontal brain regions and thereby the ability to
regulate positive emotions and self-control. A study from UCLA and University of Jena
(Germany) by Luders et al. report gyrification of cortical regions in meditators. The study
noted the longer people practised meditation, the greater the increased cortical surface area;
increased cortical surface implies increased information processing.
Meditation can have mental and physiological implications such as relieving pain, anxiety,
stress and high blood pressure, while enhancing alertness. Meditation seems to be a way the
brain can learn to rewire itself. Perhaps this is why Amma constantly reminds us meditation
is as valuable as gold.

The writer is Associate Professor and Lab Director, Computational Neuroscience and
Neurophysiology Lab, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita University.