Neurophysiological and Psychological Effects of Meditation: Inhibitory-Excitatory Balance, Working Memory, and Psychological Well-Being

Background: The meditation research literature has primarily focused on investigating psychological well-being, cognitive performance, and neurophysiology. Despite the number of meditation studies, the literature is highly segmented and still in early investigational stages. In particular, there have been no previous studies examining the relationship of meditation with cortical inhibition, gamma oscillations, attentional regulation, and psychological well-being.;Results: Part 1 found that meditators significantly increased cortical inhibition after meditation compared to non-meditators after a control activity. Part 2 found that meditators displayed more frontal alpha activity during meditation compared to non-meditators during a control activity. Part 3 showed that meditators demonstrated significantly more gamma activity and performed better during a working memory task compared to non-meditators. Part 4 showed that meditators reported significantly better relations with others, as well as higher reports of personal growth, openness, and conscientiousness.;Discussion: The neurophysiological findings were that meditators showed increased cortical inhibition, more frontal alpha activity, and increased gamma activity/performance during a working memory task. This could signify that meditation assists in filtering neural noise and irrelevant stimuli, a finding relevant to improving attentional capacity, cognitive function, and regulating emotions. The psychometric findings showed that meditation is linked to specific constructs of psychological well-being. However, meditators may innately exhibit specific trait characteristics, independent of the act of meditation, accounting for higher scores on these constructs. Therefore, future longitudinal study is required to assess the impact of meditation on these constructs of psychological well-being.;Methods: This dissertation is divided into four parts. Part 1 assessed change in cortical inhibition of meditators before and after a meditation session, to that of non-meditators engaging in a control activity. Part 2 measured electroencephalography activity of meditators during meditation to non-meditators engaging in a control activity. Part 3 used a working memory task to assess differences in gamma activity and performance between meditators and non-meditators. Part 4 compared psychological well-being of meditators and non-meditators by using the following self-report measures: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, State and Trait Anxiety Index, Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Center for Epidemiology Depression Scale, and the Big Five Inventory.