Combining Behavior and EEG to Study the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Episodic Memory

Abstract

Although there has been recent interest in how mindfulness meditation can affect episodic memory as well as brain structure and function, no study has examined the behavioral and neural effects of mindfulness meditation on episodic memory.Here we present a protocol that combines mindfulness meditation training, an episodic memory task, and EEG to examine how mindfulness meditation changes behavioral performance and the neural correlates of episodic memory. Subjects in a mindfulness meditation experimental group were compared to a waitlist control group. Subjects in the mindfulness meditation experimental group spent four weeks training and practicing mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness was measured before and after training using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Episodic memory was measured before and after training using a source recognition task. During the retrieval phase of the source recognition task, EEG was recorded. The results showed that mindfulness, source recognition behavioral performance, and EEG theta power in right frontal and left parietal channels increased following mindfulness meditation training. In addition, increases in mindfulness correlated with increases in theta power in right frontal channels. Therefore, results obtained from combining mindfulness meditation training, an episodic memory task, and EEG reveal the behavioral and neural effects of mindfulness meditation on episodic memory.Previous research has shown that mindfulness meditation can reduce symptoms of stress, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, addictions, attention deficit disorder, and pain disorders 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , as well as increase attention and executive function 2 ,

The multi-domain exercise intervention for memory and brain function in late middle-aged and older adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease: A protocol for Western–Eastern Brain Fitness Integration Training trial

“…The benefits of meditation on working memory have been reported in one recent meta-analytic study of cognitively healthy and impaired older adults aged 60 years or above (Chan et al, 2019), suggesting the potential benefits of mindfulness training for improving working memory capacity in older adults. Additionally, the beneficial effects of meditation on episodic memory have been observed (Van Vugt et al, 2012;Basso et al, 2019;Nyhus et al, 2019), suggesting the potential benefits of meditation for improving episodic memory capacity.…”