Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Rising Stars | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Sketchpad Series 

Neural Mechanisms of a Brief, Short Body Scan Meditation and the Influence on Cognitive Performance & Perceived Stress

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Elizabeth M. Key¹ (lizkey6@gmail.com), James R. Houston¹; ¹Middle Tennessee State University

Introduction: Stress may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in higher education environments. Adaptive coping strategies are essential to buffer effects of stress. Body scan meditation is a quick, easy mental training that could alleviate some forms of acute stress. The aim of the study is to investigate potential buffering effects of body scan meditation on perceived stress. Methods: Fifty-four undergraduate and graduate students from Middle Tennessee State University will undergo continuous EEG recording. Stress will be examined before and after protocol via State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Resting state EEG will be taken at the beginning and end of experiment in both groups. The experimental group will receive 17-minute body scan meditation followed by an Operations Span (OSPAN) task. The control group will undergo 17 minutes of active listening followed by an OSPAN task. Results: Data collection is in progress for this study. Resting-state EEG band power will be compared across groups to determine if alpha and theta band power has a significant interaction from pre- to post-intervention. Alpha and theta band power will also be compared between experimental and control groups during each listening task, respectively. A difference would suggest that the meditation intervention elicited a modulation in underlying brain network activity associated with relaxation and alertness. Potential buffer effects for stress will be measured with a difference in STAI pre- and post-intervention. Conclusions: Study is in progress; conclusions will be added to poster upon completion.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotion-cognition interactions