Harvard Osher Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Brain Res Bull. 2011 May 30;85(3-4):96-103. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.03.026. Epub 2011 Apr 8.
During selective attention, ∼7-14 Hz alpha rhythms are modulated in early sensory cortices, suggesting a mechanistic role for these dynamics in perception. Here, we investigated whether alpha modulation can be enhanced by "mindfulness" meditation (MM), a program training practitioners in sustained attention to body and breath-related sensations. We hypothesized that participants in the MM group would exhibit enhanced alpha power modulation in a localized representation in the primary somatosensory neocortex in response to a cue, as compared to participants in the control group. Healthy subjects were randomized to 8-weeks of MM training or a control group. Using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recording of the SI finger representation, we found meditators demonstrated enhanced alpha power modulation in response to a cue. This finding is the first to show enhanced local alpha modulation following sustained attentional training, and implicates this form of enhanced dynamic neural regulation in the behavioral effects of meditative practice.
在选择性注意期间，早期感觉皮层中的~7-14 Hz 阿尔法节律被调制，这表明这些动力学在感知中具有机械作用。在这里，我们研究了“正念”冥想（MM）是否可以增强这些调制，MM 是一种训练练习者持续关注身体和呼吸相关感觉的程序。我们假设与对照组相比，MM 组的参与者在对提示做出反应时，初级体感皮层中的局部代表性区域的阿尔法功率调制会增强。健康受试者被随机分配到 8 周的 MM 训练或对照组。使用脑磁图（MEG）记录 SI 手指代表，我们发现冥想者在对提示做出反应时表现出增强的阿尔法功率调制。这一发现首次表明，在持续注意力训练后，局部阿尔法调制得到增强，并且这种形式的增强的动态神经调节暗示了冥想练习的行为效应。
