Table 1.
Cerebral blood flow, respiration rate, and heart rate means (SEM) across conditions and sessions
| CBF | Respiration rate | Heart rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | |||
| Rest: neutral | 74.12 (3.01) | 19.97 (1.29) | 72.53 (2.33) |
| Rest: heat | 71.51 (2.93) | 20.45 (1.11) | 74.79 (2.39) |
| ATB: neutral | 70.69 (3.56) | 17.05 (1.00) | 70.46 (1.79) |
| ATB: heat | 67.90 (3.08) | 19.32 (1.33) | 74.07 (2.19) |
| Session 2 | |||
| Rest: neutral | 68.57 (3.17) | 16.72 (0.82) | 74.82 (3.08) |
| Rest: heat | 66.82 (2.59) | 17.12 (0.93) | 77.32 (2.95) |
| Meditation: neutral | 65.09 (3.59) | 11.55 (0.74) | 73.62 (2.77) |
| Meditation: heat | 65.47 (3.86) | 9.47 (0.67)a | 75.38 (2.70) |
CBF was lower when subjects were instructed to attend to the breath (n = 15). However, there were no differences between rest and ATB in session 1 or between rest and meditation in session 2.
aRespiration rate during heat stimulation and meditation was significantly lower than all other conditions (n = 10). Heat stimulation increased heart rate when compared with neutral stimulation (n = 9).