The wandering mind oscillates: EEG alpha power is enhanced during moments of mind-wandering

Compton, Rebecca J.; Gearinger, Dylan; Wild, Hannah

doi:10.3758/s13415-019-00745-9

Cited by 125 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Baldwin et al (2017), however, found an increase of alpha power during mind wandering at parietal electrodes using the probe-caught assessment method during simulated driving as well as during a vigilance task. Similar results could be observed by Compton et al (2019), who also found increased alpha power in episodes preceding reports of mind wandering during a Stroop task. Baird and colleagues (2014) also used the probe-caught method to investigate mind wandering during a vigilance task.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 88%

The Electrophysiological Signature of Mind Wandering

Arnau

Loeffler

Rummel

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Mind wandering during ongoing tasks can impede task performance and increase the risk of failure in laboratory as well as in daily-life tasks and work environments. Neurocognitive measures like the electroencephalography (EEG) offer the opportunity to assess mind wandering non-invasively without interfering with the primary task. However, the literature on electrophysiological correlates of mind wandering is rather inconsistent. The present study aims towards clarifying this picture by breaking down the temporal dynamics of mind-wandering encounters using a cluster-based permutation approach. Participants performed a switching task during which mind wandering was occasionally assessed via thought probes applied after trial completion at random time points. In line with previous studies, response accuracy was reduced during mind wandering. Moreover, alpha power during the inter-trial interval was significantly increased on those trials on which participants reported that they had been mindwandering. This spatially widely distributed effect is theoretically well in line with recent findings linking an increased alpha power to an internally oriented state of attention.Measurements of alpha power may therefore be used to detect mind wandering online during critical tasks in traffic and industry in order to prevent failures.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 88%

The Electrophysiological Signature of Mind Wandering

Arnau

Loeffler

Rummel

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…In carrying out this work, it is important to recognize the general challenge of mapping brain measures to phenomenological states. For example, studies have reported increased alpha and theta power during states of mind wandering [122][123][124][125] , thereby challenging unilateral interpretations of alpha and theta synchronization as markers of internally-directed concentrated attention. In a convincing demonstration of this point, Brandmeyer and Delorme 126 found that novice meditators did not show dissociable levels of theta power between meditation and mind wandering, whereas advanced practitioners exhibited enhanced theta power during meditation relative to mind wandering.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An electrophysiological investigation on the emotion regulatory mechanisms of brief open monitoring meditation in novice non-meditators

Lin

Gloe

Louis

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Despite a growing literature supporting the salutary effects of mindfulness meditation on emotion regulation, the underlying mechanisms linking neural and subjective changes occurring during the actual practice of meditation with emotion regulatory effects observed after meditation remains virtually unexplored. the current study sought to address this gap in knowledge by testing the hypothesis that adoption of internally-directed focused attention, indexed by increased alpha and theta spectral power, during brief open monitoring (oM) mindfulness meditation predicts reduced emotional reactivity, as measured by the late positive potential (Lpp). Results revealed that the OM meditation did not produce demonstrable differences in alpha and theta power but did increase self-reported sleepiness relative to controls. follow-up analyses showed that sleepiness uniquely moderated the effect of meditation on the LPP, such that less sleepiness during meditation, but not the control audio, corresponded to smaller Lpps to negative images. change in theta, but not alpha power, between meditation and rest was positively correlated with the Lpp even after controlling for sleepiness. Although the primary hypothesis was unsupported, the findings demonstrate that phenomenological and neural changes occurring during oM meditation may modulate its subsequent "off-the-cushion" effects on emotional reactivity. Originating from a 2,500-year old Buddhist contemplative tradition, mindfulness has received increased interest from people around the world. Although definitions of mindfulness vary across time and context 1 , one of the most cited contemporary definitions of mindfulness refers to the adoption of a nonelaborative, nonjudgmental awareness to present-moment experience 2,3. Driving its rising popularity, a rapidly growing body of research has shown that adoption and training of mindfulness, and possessing higher dispositional levels of mindfulness, are related to a wide array of benefits 2-5. A frequently cited benefit of mindfulness involves its salutary effects on emotion regulation 6,7 , a core selfregulatory ability involving modulation of the generation, experience, and expression of emotion 8. Despite lay and scientific consensus that mindfulness promotes healthy emotion regulation, little is known about how mindfulness confers its emotion regulatory effects. Research into this question is complicated by three factors. First, emotion regulation is conceptualized as a complex dynamic process that unfolds over time 9,10. Consequently, mechanistic investigations of mindfulness-based emotion regulation may strongly benefit from employing methodologies with temporal sensitivity. Second, mindfulness is a multi-faceted construct differentiable as a state, trait, and mind-body training modality 11,12. Moreover, mindfulness as mind-body training is itself highly varied, ranging from traditional sitting meditations to a panoply of didactic exercises and integrative interventions 13,14. This construct heterogeneity complicates operationa...

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“…Figure 2(b) shows that 30 reported that people with better memory had higher alpha frequencies. In addition, Compton et al 31 showed that the relative energy of alpha band increases when the person is in a wandering state which helps restore the memory function of the brain. In our study, we found that NIR LED light stimulation increases the relative energy of alpha wave, and the increase is stimulation frequency dependent, that is, the higher the stimulation frequency, the larger the increase of the relative energy of alpha wave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of stimulating frequency of NIR LEDs light irradiation on forehead as quantified by EEG measurements

Yao

Qian

Liu

et al. 2020

J. Innov. Opt. Health Sci.

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Near-infrared (NIR) light has been shown to produce a range of physiological effects in humans, however, there is still no agreement on whether and how a single parameter, like the flicker frequency of NIR light, affects the brain. Methods: An 810[Formula: see text]nm NIR LED was used as the stimulator. Fifty subjects participated in this experiment. Forty subjects were randomly divided into four groups. Each group underwent a 30-minute NIR LED radiation with four different frequencies (i.e., 0[Formula: see text]Hz, 5[Formula: see text]Hz, 10[Formula: see text]Hz and 20[Formula: see text]Hz, respectively) on the forehead. The remaining 10 subjects formed the control group, in which they underwent a 30-minute rest period without light radiation. EEG signals of all subjects during each test were recorded. Gravity frequency (GF), relative energy change, and sample entropy were analyzed. Results: The experimental groups had larger GF values compared to the control group. Higher stimulation frequency would cause larger growth of GF ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). The amplitude of alpha waves relative energy increased, while theta waves decreased remarkably in the experimental groups ([Formula: see text]), and the extent of increase/decrease was larger at higher stimulation frequency, compared to that of the control. Sample entropy of electrodes in the frontal areas were much larger than those in other brain areas in the experimental groups ([Formula: see text]). Conclusions: Larger frequency of the NIR LED light would cause more distinct brain activities in the stimulated areas. It indicates that NIR LED light may have a positive effect on modulating brain activity. These results may help improve the design of photobiomodulation treatments in the future.

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The wandering mind oscillates: EEG alpha power is enhanced during moments of mind-wandering

Cited by 125 publications

References 38 publications

The Electrophysiological Signature of Mind Wandering

The Electrophysiological Signature of Mind Wandering

An electrophysiological investigation on the emotion regulatory mechanisms of brief open monitoring meditation in novice non-meditators

Effects of stimulating frequency of NIR LEDs light irradiation on forehead as quantified by EEG measurements

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