SCAN Research & Teaching Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2013 Sep;89(3):305-13. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.06.017. Epub 2013 Jun 22.
Mindfulness meditation has beneficial effects on brain and body, yet the impact of Vipassana, a type of mindfulness meditation, on heart rate variability (HRV) - a psychophysiological marker of mental and physical health - is unknown. We hypothesised increases in measures of well-being and HRV, and decreases in ill-being after training in Vipassana compared to before (time effects), during the meditation task compared to resting baseline (task effects), and a time by task interaction with more pronounced differences between tasks after Vipassana training. HRV (5-minute resting baseline vs. 5-minute meditation) was collected from 36 participants before and after they completed a 10-day intensive Vipassana retreat. Changes in three frequency-domain measures of HRV were analysed using 2 (Time; pre- vs. post-Vipassana)× 2 (Task; resting baseline vs. meditation) within subjects ANOVA. These measures were: normalised high-frequency power (HF n.u.), a widely used biomarker of parasympathetic activity; log-transformed high frequency power (ln HF), a measure of RSA and required to interpret normalised HF; and Traube-Hering-Mayer waves (THM), a component of the low frequency spectrum linked to baroreflex outflow. As expected, participants showed significantly increased well-being, and decreased ill-being. ln HF increased overall during meditation compared to resting baseline, while there was a time∗task interaction for THM. Further testing revealed that pre-Vipassana only ln HF increased during meditation (vs. resting baseline), consistent with a change in respiration. Post-Vipassana, the meditation task increased HF n.u. and decreased THM compared to resting baseline, suggesting post-Vipassana task-related changes are characterised by a decrease in absolute LF power, not parasympathetic-mediated increases in HF power. Such baroreflex changes are classically associated with attentional load, and our results are interpreted in light of the concept of 'flow' - a state of positive and full immersion in an activity. These results are also consistent with changes in normalised HRV reported in other meditation studies.
正念冥想对大脑和身体都有有益的影响，然而，内观冥想（一种正念冥想）对心率变异性（HRV）的影响——一种心理和身体健康的生理心理标志物——尚不清楚。我们假设在 Vipassana 训练后与训练前相比，幸福感和 HRV 测量值增加，不适减少（时间效应），与休息时的基线相比（任务效应），在冥想任务期间减少，以及时间与任务的相互作用，在 Vipassana 训练后任务之间的差异更为明显。在 36 名参与者完成 10 天密集的 Vipassana 静修后，使用 2（时间；Vipassana 前后）×2（任务；休息基线与冥想）的被试内方差分析收集了 5 分钟休息基线与 5 分钟冥想期间的 HRV 的三个频域测量值的变化。这些措施是：归一高频功率（HF n.u.），一种广泛使用的副交感神经活动生物标志物；对数变换高频功率（ln HF），一种 RSA 的测量值，需要解释归一高频功率；以及 Traube-Hering-Mayer 波（THM），一种与压力反射输出有关的低频谱成分。正如预期的那样，参与者的幸福感明显增加，不适减少。与休息基线相比，ln HF 在整个冥想期间总体增加，而对于 THM 存在时间与任务的相互作用。进一步的测试表明，Vipassana 前仅在冥想期间（与休息基线相比）ln HF 增加，这与呼吸的变化一致。Vipassana 后，与休息基线相比，冥想任务增加了 HF n.u.并减少了 THM，这表明 Vipassana 后的任务相关变化的特点是绝对 LF 功率减少，而不是副交感神经介导的 HF 功率增加。这种压力反射变化通常与注意力负荷有关，我们的结果是根据“流动”的概念来解释的——一种积极和完全沉浸在活动中的状态。这些结果也与其他冥想研究中报告的归一化 HRV 变化一致。
