Brahmi Mannu, Sharma Abira, Jain Harshita, Kumar Jyoti
National Resource Centre for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Department of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Ann Neurosci. 2025 Sep 8:09727531251369287. doi: 10.1177/09727531251369287.
Modern integrative frameworks such as the self-awareness, self-regulation and self-transcendence (S-ART) and LIBRE/EMC highlight the neurocognitive-affective mechanisms underpinning mindfulness in young learners.
This study explored how trait-level psychological dispositions and academic factors relate to electrophysiological and behavioural markers of state mindfulness in novice student meditators.
Ninety-seven university students (mean age = 24.59 years) participated in the study, with 89 consenting to electroencephalography (EEG) recording during a tristage Ānāpānasati-inspired meditation. EEG spectral powers were analysed across five neural oscillatory bands in the prefrontal, occipital, and default mode regions to assess state mindfulness, complemented by behavioural evaluation using the Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire. Additionally, trait-level data encompassing personality, values, mindfulness and academic background were gathered through validated self-report measures.
The mindfulness trait of Acting with Awareness was associated with reduced Discontinuity of Mind and Theory of Mind, as well as heightened theta power during meditation, indicating enhanced breath-focused attention. Discontinuity of Mind also correlated with elevated posterior alpha and prefrontal beta, consistent with fragmented or effortful mentation. Planning-related thinking was consistently associated with self-reported early STEM subjects' proficiency, and corresponded with reduced delta and alpha power-suggesting unnecessary mentation during meditation. While value traits showed negligible robust behavioural correlations, EEG findings revealed that individuals scoring higher on Stimulation values exhibited lower prefrontal alpha power, possibly reflecting heightened alertness while meditating. Modest associations also emerged between Extraversion, Emotional Stability and state mindfulness dimensions across neurobehavioural indices.
These findings offer preliminary support for trait-to-state continuity in early meditative experience, highlighting how attentional traits and academic conditioning may shape neural engagement in novices. Although predictive value was weak, the results underscore the importance of dispositional context in shaping novice state mindfulness, warranting further replications and investigations to clarify the directionality and stability of the observed trait-state associations.
现代综合框架，如自我意识、自我调节和自我超越（S-ART）以及LIBRE/EMC，强调了支撑年轻学习者正念的神经认知-情感机制。
本研究探讨了特质水平的心理倾向和学业因素如何与新手学生冥想者状态正念的电生理和行为指标相关。
97名大学生（平均年龄=24.59岁）参与了该研究，其中89人同意在三阶段受安那般那念启发的冥想过程中进行脑电图（EEG）记录。分析了前额叶、枕叶和默认模式区域五个神经振荡频段的EEG频谱功率，以评估状态正念，并通过使用阿姆斯特丹静息状态问卷进行行为评估作为补充。此外，通过经过验证的自我报告测量方法收集了包括人格、价值观、正念和学业背景在内的特质水平数据。
有意识行动的正念特质与思维间断性和心理理论的降低相关，以及与冥想期间增强的θ功率相关，表明专注于呼吸的注意力增强。思维间断性还与后部α和前额叶β升高相关，这与碎片化或费力的思维一致。与计划相关的思维始终与自我报告的早期STEM学科熟练程度相关，并与δ和α功率降低相对应，这表明冥想期间存在不必要的思维活动。虽然价值特质显示出可忽略不计的稳健行为相关性，但EEG结果显示，在刺激价值上得分较高的个体前额叶α功率较低，这可能反映出冥想时更高的警觉性。外向性、情绪稳定性与跨神经行为指标的状态正念维度之间也出现了适度的关联。
这些发现为早期冥想体验中从特质到状态的连续性提供了初步支持，并强调了注意力特质和学业条件如何塑造新手的神经参与。虽然预测价值较弱，但结果强调了特质背景在塑造新手状态正念中的重要性，并需要进一步的重复和研究来阐明观察到的特质-状态关联的方向性和稳定性。
