Group differences between practitioners and novices in hemispheric processing of attention and emotion before and after a session of Falun Gong qigong

Abstract

We examined the hemispheric effects of Falun Gong qigong (FLG), a movement meditation practice, using a systematic approach to hemispheric function by administering the Emotion Lateralized Attention Network Test (ELANT) to measure the interaction of the Conflict Resolution, Spatial Orienting, and Emotion networks. Measuring both behavior (ELANT, DV = accuracy) and physiology (HF-HRV), we compared experienced FLG practitioners (n = 19) to novices serving as an active control group (n = 16) before and after a 91-min sequence of FLG qigong exercises.We compared practitioners and novices using a hierarchy of intrahemispheric and interhemispheric control relations that can be tested with the ELANT. Practitioners exhibited a prominent short-term effect in which they improved relative to novices on trials requiring complex interhemispheric transfer (ηP2 = 0.21). Two baseline group differences, suggesting long-term effects of FLG, both involved the left hemisphere. First, practitioners were selectively spared the negative effects of processing positive emotion cues preceding left hemisphere targets (ηP2 = 0.34). Second, only practitioners showed improved left-hemisphere Conflict Resolution at higher levels of HF-HRV (r2 = 0.40). The data showed that FLG practitioners had increased flexibility in the management of a limited attentional resource pool that is accessible to both hemispheres.