electroencephalogram study of brain responses to repetitive religious chanting

<meta charset="utf8"></head><body>פענוח פעילות מוחית במהלך שירה דתית באמצעות EEG ו-fMRI

Religious chanting, a very popular practice in Eastern cultures, is often compared to prayer in Western societies1. Despite its prevalence, scientific research on the neural correlates of religious chanting remains rather limited. Sophisticated multimodal electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques were utilized in this study to fill this knowledge gap and to explore the neural associations of chanting Amit&#257;bha Buddha, one of the most widespread and one of the oldest actively preserved religious traditions2,3. Repetitive religious chanting can serve as an effective technique in Buddhist counseling to help soothe one&#39;s mind from turbulent thoughts and emotions.
Given the high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it can be applied to overcome the limitations of traditional EEG studies4. Combining fMRI&#160;and electroencephalogram (EEG) source clustering via independent component analysis (ICA), the study identifies and groups independent components of brain activity across participants. This method introduces a novel strategy for identifying signals from mixed EEG sources or disparate sources across participants, which has been challenging due to differences in brain anatomy and electrode placement.
The form of repetitive religious chanting that was studied with this protocol involves repetitive recitation of the name of Amit&#257;bha Buddha. It is also a meditative practice that has been reported to elicit blissful sensations and transcendental experiences. Amongst different Buddhist practices, the practice of chanting&#160;Amit&#257;bha Buddha is&#160;simple and easily accessible. This practice promises rebirth in the Pure Land for all those who sincerely call upon this name, which has similarities to certain traditions in Western religion1,3.
Through multimodal neuroimaging, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the neural correlates of repetitive religious chanting. The protocol can contribute to the booming field of research on the neurophysiological effects of different religious and meditative practices.
The study hypothesized that repetitive religious chanting would lead to significant signal changes in brain regions responsible for self-related processes. Furthermore, given the positive emotions attributed to Amit&#257;bha Buddha, we hypothesized that emotional shifts would transpire during religious chanting. These effective changes are likely to coincide with modifications in peripheral physiological indicators, such as variations in multi-band heart rate variability (HRV) indices and respiration rate5.

<meta charset="utf8"></head><body>מחבר זרקור: חקר שינויים עצביים דינמיים הקשורים לשירה דתית

שירה דתית ואזורי מוח הקשורים לעצמם: מחקר דימות מוחי רב-מודאלי

Our research explore the neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting using multimodal neuroimaging techniques. We aim to uncover the brain region and the neural processes involved in repetitive religious chanting and how they differ from non-religious chanting and resting state. Recent studies have began to investigate the effect of various meditative and religious practices on the brain using advanced neuroimaging methods.These developments have shed lights on the neural mechanisms underlying the potential therapeutic benefits of such practices. Our study combine high-density electroencephalogram, EEG, functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, and physiological measures like electrocardiogram, ECG. This cutting-edge neuroimaging and electrophysiological technologies has enabled us to capture the dynamic neural and bodily changes associated with religious chanting in great detail.Although religious chantings and prayers are extremely popular in both eastern and western cultures, spanning ancient to modern times, there is a scarcity of scientific research on this topic. Our research addresses this research gap and uncover potential applications of religious chanting in the context of psychological counseling. Compared to single-modality techniques, our protocol uses fMRI and eigenvector centrality mapping to guide EEG source localization, therefore enhancing spatial accuracy.In addition, measuring heart rate variability alongside with brain activity provides a more comprehensive understanding of religious chanting's effect on stress reduction and cardiovascular stability.

מחקר אלקטרואנצפלוגרם של תגובות מוחיות לשירה דתית חוזרת ונשנית

electroencephalogram-study-brain-responses-to-repetitive-religious

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Electroencephalogram Study of Brain Responses to Repetitive Religious Chanting

151 Views. כדי להתחיל, ליידע את המשתתף שנבחר על הניסוי ולתת לנבדק לשבת בנוחות על הכיסא לריצת ניסיון. הגדר אלקטרואנצפלוגרם בן 128 ערוצים, או EEG, וציוד רישום נתונים פיזיולוגיים מרובים בהתאם להוראות היצרן. קבל נתוני EEG בזמן שהמשתתף מזמר בודהה אמיטאבהא, מזמר סנטה קלאוס, ונ?...

Video: מחקר אלקטרואנצפלוגרם של תגובות מוחיות לשירה דתית חוזרת ונשנית

Religious Chanting and Self-Related Brain Regions: A Multi-Modal Neuroimaging Study

This protocol presents a multi-modal neuroimaging approach to explore the potential brain activity associated with repetitive religious chanting, a widespread form of mind training in both Eastern and Western cultures. High-density electroencephalogram (EEG), with its superior temporal resolution, allows for capturing the dynamic changes in brain activity during religious chanting. Through source localization methods, these can be attributed to various alternative potential brain region sources. Twenty practitioners of religious chanting were measured with EEG. However, the spatial resolution of EEG is less precise, in comparison to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thus, one highly experienced practitioner underwent an fMRI scanning session to guide the source localization more precisely. The fMRI data helped guide the selection of EEG source localization, making the calculation of K-means of the EEG source localization in the group of 20 intermediate practitioners more precise and reliable. This method enhanced EEG&#39;s ability to identify the brain regions specifically engaged during religious chanting, particularly the cardinal role of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The PCC is a brain area related to focus and self-referential processing. These multimodal neuroimaging and neurophysiological results reveal that repetitive religious chanting can induce lower centrality and higher delta-wave power compared to non-religious chanting and resting state conditions. The combination of fMRI and EEG source analysis provides a more detailed understanding of the brain&#39;s response to repetitive religious chanting. The protocol contributes significantly to the research on the neural mechanisms involved in religious and meditative practices, which is becoming more prominent nowadays. The results of this study could have significant implications for developing future neurofeedback techniques and psychological interventions.

Here, we present a protocol to investigate the neurophysiological correlates of various meditation forms, including religious chanting. This method uniquely integrates fMRI eigenvector results for region selection in electroencephalogram (EEG) source analysis using k-means clustering. The results provide an in-depth understanding of the neural processes involved in repetitive religious chanting.

This protocol presents a multi-modal neuroimaging approach to explore the potential brain activity associated with repetitive religious chanting, a ...

To begin, inform the selected participant about the experiment and let the subject sit comfortably on the chair for a trial run. Set up the 128-channel electroencephalogram, or EEG, and multiple physiological data-recording equipment according to the manufacturer's instructions. Acquire EEG data while the participant is chanting Amitabha Buddha, chanting Santa Claus, and is in a resting state with eyes closed.Record 10 minutes of EEG data in each condition.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Decipher the Effect of Religious Chanting on Neural Dynamics

To begin, prepare a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scanner and test its functionality. Set all the parameters for the T1-weighted scanning sequence. Position the participant to begin the scanning.Next, set the sequence parameters to obtain functional MRI images with gradient echo-planar imaging using an 8-channel sense head coil. Start the functional MRI data acquisition while the participant is chanting, Amitabha Buddha"chanting, Santa Claus"and is in a resting state. Launch the Leipzig image processing and statistical inference algorithm software.First, perform signal intensity normalization, movement correction, and spatial normalization to MNI space. Then, carry out spatial smoothing with full width at half maximum of six millimeters, and set the temporal high pass filtering with a cutoff frequency of 1 by 90 hertz to remove low frequency drifts in the functional MRI time series. Regress out covariates of no interest, such as global signal fluctuations and movement parameters from the data for each scanning sequence corresponding to the three conditions.Finally, apply eigenvector centrality mapping or ECM to investigate whole brain functional connectomics with the most influential nodes within a network. Subtract the ECM images of two conditions from one another to produce the contrast image. The functional MRI analysis results indicated that the strongest difference in eigenvector centrality between religious and non-religious chanting was predominantly situated in the posterior cingulate cortex.Post hoc analysis showed that religious chanting induced higher delta power than non-religious chanting and resting conditions.