Abstract
Asymmetry in frontal electrical activity has been reported to be associated with positive mood. One form of mindfulness meditation, integrative body-mind training (IBMT) improves positive mood and neuroplasticity. The purpose of this study is to determine whether short-term IBMT improves mood and induces frontal asymmetry. This study showed that 5-days (30-min per day) IBMT significantly enhanced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in subgenual/adjacent ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial prefrontal cortex and insula. The results showed that both IBMT and relaxation training increased left laterality of CBF, but only IBMT improved CBF in left ACC and insula, critical brain areas in self-regulation.
Highlights
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to produce positive effects on psychological wellbeing (Hölzel et al, 2011)
One form of meditation, the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) that originates from traditional Chinese medicine, improves attention, self-regulation, and mood after only few hours of training in comparison with relaxation training in a random assignment design (Tang et al, 2007; Ding et al, 2014)
Another study suggested 5-weeks of meditation shifts EEG asymmetry toward a pattern associated with positive emotion compared to a waiting-list control there was no significant difference between the two groups (Moyer et al, 2011)
Summary
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to produce positive effects on psychological wellbeing (Hölzel et al, 2011). Since late 1970s, frontal EEG asymmetry has had widespread use in measuring individual differences in emotional state. It is believed a left-sided frontal activation indicates a positive emotion, the evidence is not always consistent with this view (Allen and Kline, 2004; Allen et al, 2004; Cacioppo, 2004; Travis and Arenander, 2004, 2006). Another study suggested 5-weeks of meditation shifts EEG asymmetry toward a pattern associated with positive emotion compared to a waiting-list control there was no significant difference between the two groups (Moyer et al, 2011). We hypothesize that IBMT could improve left frontal CBF at resting state, which may underlie the promotion of positive emotion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
