Study Shows Meditation Improves Brain Function in ADHD Students

A pilot study on students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) published this month in Mind and Brain, The Journal of Psychiatry
found improved brain functioning and decreased symptoms as a result of
practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique.

This research, conducted by MUM researcher Fred Travis along with Sarina
Grosswald and Bill Stixrud, compared brain waves and ADHD symptoms in
children age 11-14 years diagnosed with ADHD. Nine students were randomly
assigned to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique right away, and
the nine students in the delayed-start control group learned three months
later.

The researchers looked at theta/beta power ratios, since higher ratios
correlate with the greater severity of ADHD symptoms. They found that the
theta/beta power ratios decreased after three months of practice, while the
ratios of the control group increased slightly.

After three months, the delayed-start group also learned the Transcendental
Meditation technique, and their theta/beta ratios then showed a decrease
after three months of practice. Both groups of students saw a significant
48% decrease.

Dr. Travis said greater theta activity in the brain during tasks in normal
individuals suggests that the brain is blocking out irrelevant information
so the person can focus on the task. However, in individuals with ADHD, the
theta activity is even higher, suggesting that the brain is also blocking
out relevant information.

Dr. Travis said that the experience of restful alertness during the
Transcendental Meditation technique is associated with higher metabolic
activity in the frontal and parietal parts of the brain, indicating
alertness, along with decreased metabolic activity in the thalamus, which
plays a major role in regulating arousal.

This brain state that characterizes the Transcendental Meditation technique
is then also increasingly present outside of meditation: the ADHD students
are more capable of attending to tasks -- higher attention -- with greater
rest.

In a sense, Dr. Travis says, the repeated experience of the Transcendental
Meditation technique trains the brain to function in a style opposite that
of ADHD.

The researchers also found a trend toward greater brain coherence,
indicating improved brain function, and decreased ADHD symptoms.