Talk Details

Prof. Supratim Ray
Center for Neuroscience, IISC

Title: Effect of Meditation on Brain signals

Abstract:
Visual stimuli induce “narrowband” gamma oscillations (30-70 Hz) that are linked to attention/binding and attenuate with aging and neurodegeneration. In contrast, meditation increases power in a broad frequency range (>25 Hz). However, the effect of meditation on stimulus-induced gamma is unknown. We recorded EEG from meditators and controls performing open-eyed meditation while gamma-inducing stimuli were presented before, during and after meditation. We found that stimulus-induced gamma, like stimulus-free gamma, is stronger in meditators. Interestingly, both gamma signatures co-exist during meditation but are unrelated and prominent in fronto-temporal and occipital regions, respectively. Further, power spectral density (PSD) slope, which becomes shallower with aging, was steeper for meditators. Meditation could boost inhibitory mechanisms leading to stronger gamma and steeper PSDs, potentially providing protection against aging and neurodegeneration.

Bio:
Dr. Supratim Ray is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He received a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. His postdoctoral training was in the department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Center for Neuroscience at IISc in June 2011. His lab studies the neural basis of high-level cognition such as selective attention and meditation, with a focus on a brain rhythm called “gamma” (30-80 Hz), which is thought to be associated with high-level cognitive processes.