Join us in Amsterdam for the second and final Mind-Brain-Mindfulness (MBM) research seminar of 2023!
Where: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, room MF-A511 (the 5th floor, Section A of the Medical Faculty Building, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam)
When: Friday, the 3rd of November 2023, 13:30 h -17:00 h
Mark this date in your calendar, and take a peak at the agenda below:
13:30-13:45 Guided meditation
13:45-14:15 Introductions with a twist: 1) Who are you and what are you working on? 2) What have you been excited about lately regarding your work? 3) What have you been struggling with lately regarding your work?
14:15-15:00 Talk by Dr. Ivana Buric (postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam): Psychoneuroimmunology of mindfulness – A theoretical overview and the results from two experimental studies
This talk will walk us through the past two years of the EU-funded project INSPIRER that aims to elucidate the mechanisms through which mindfulness mitigates the effects of chronic stress, and protects mental and physical health. Based on the knowledge and methods from psychology, neuroscience and immunology, an integrative theoretical model was created to explain the mechanisms of mindfulness on multiple levels, as well as the interaction between the levels. In addition to the theoretical foundation that can be applied to other types of meditations or psychological interventions, preliminary results of two experimental studies that are based on this theoretical model will be presented. First, a cross-sectional study comparing long-term mindfulness practitioners with non-meditators of the same age and gender that includes psychological, neural and immune outcomes. Second, a non-randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a 7-week mindfulness course versus an active control group in young adults, again with a focus on psychological, neural and immune outcomes. Guidelines for applying these approaches in future studies will be provided, along with opportunities for collaborations.
15:00-15:15 Tea break
15:15-15:45 Informal presentation of your latest research (5 minutes maximum per person, optional)
15:45-16:30 Talk by Henrik Rohr (PhD candidate from the University of Groningen): Neurofeedback of meditation states – a closed loop between phenomenology and neural activity
Abstract: One of the most fundamental questions in science and philosophy regards the relation between first-person experience and physical brain activity, and the search for the ‘neural correlate of consciousness’ is an established research program. However, few studies have gone beyond looking for mere correlations by investigating the kind of relation between phenomenology and brain states. One promising pathway to address this question is through neurofeedback. Here, information about certain aspects of neural activity is provided to the participant. Neurofeedback creates a closed loop between brain activity and phenomenology, which goes beyond a mere correlation by establishing a relation of bi-directional causal constraint.
In our study, we provided participants with auditory electroencephalography (EEG) neurofeedback. The feedback was based on brain signals which had been shown to be connected to meditation states (high beta and gamma activity in the posterior cingulate cortex, midfrontal theta and occipital alpha). We predicted that expert meditators would be able to find a connection between these signals and their meditation experience. So far we collected data from N=4 participants with each of the four signals. We could not yet find a significant connection between the feedback signal and subjective experience, possibly due to the small sample size. However, some participants showed a highly significant connection with some of the signals.
16:30-17:00 Final discussion & plans for next year
17:00-onwards: Drinks close to the meeting venue (optional)
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Below is the program for the first MBM meeting of 2023, which was held in June:
13:30-13:45 Guided meditation
13:45-14:15 Introductions with a twist: 1) Who are you and what are you working on? 2) What have you been excited about lately regarding your work? 3) What have you been struggling with lately regarding your work?
14:15-14:35 Talk by Surya Selvam (Free University of Amsterdam): “Binocular Rivalry in Meditators” Abstract: Binocular rivalry (BR) is a perceptual phenomenon whereby the presentation of two distinct images – for example, a house and a face – at the same spatial location triggers a conflict in one’s perception leading to a state of continued alternation between the images – one perceives the house for a brief period, then the face, and so on back and forth. Prior studies have shown that visual attention is a key determinant of the dynamics of such alternation (Zhang et al, 2011; Chong et al, 2005). We aim to investigate how various styles of meditation – Focused Attention (samatha) and Open Monitoring (vipassana) – differentially modulate visual attention by measuring BR dynamics. One previous study of Tibetan monks exhibited a radical change in BR dynamics during and after one-pointed meditation (Carter et al, 2005). However, that study implemented post-hoc reporting – instead of in-task button presses – in order to avoid interrupting the meditative state. With our EEG study, we aim to address this broad issue of reporting-induced disruption to the meditative state by utilizing a novel neural measure of BR dynamics previously developed by members of our group (Laukkonen et al, in review). Finally, we will implement a pattern classification algorithm on the EEG data as an independent measure of BR dynamics which may also serve as a cross-validation to the no-report measure
14:35-15:30 Informal presentation of your latest research (5 minutes maximum per person, optional)
15:30-15:45 Tea break
15:45-16:30 Talk by Russell Chan (University of Twente): Art, Meditation and Cognitive Science: A Framework for Museum-based Community Meditation Programme during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Singapore Abstract: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused mandatory lockdowns around the world, which exacerbated mental health issues created by social isolation. To improve museum visitors’ mental health and maintain engagement despite the physical closure of museums, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) rapidly deployed an online programme called Unwind with SAM to engage the public with the museum’s contemporary art collection through meditation and contemplation. The programme focused on the positive effect of arts on mental health and well-being, combined with cognitive benefits of meditation by “slow looking” at different artworks. The programme was completed in a steadfast manner; therefore, this practice-based report allows for consolidation of the processes to explore the intersectional potential between art, contemplation and cognitive sciences in a publicly accessible way. The main framework which explores the intersection of art, meditation and cognitive science to guide the programme, alongside a breakdown of components and their design rationale could help museum practitioners, managers and scientists to design future programme with diverse organisations.
16:30-17:00 Final discussion & plans for next year
17:00-onwards: Drinks close to the meeting venue (optional)
MBM 