EFFECT OF CYCLIC MEDITATION ON PROCESSING SPEED, PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS OF TEENAGERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have found immediate cognition enhancing effects of Cyclic Meditation (CM) practice in children. No previous study has assessed the effect of regular CM practice for longer duration on processing speed and executive functions in teenage students before. Objective: To study the effect of Cyclic Meditation (CM) on processing speed, psychomotor performance and executive functions of teenagers as compared to Supine Rest (SR). Methods and Materials: Fifty eight teenage school students (M =38; F =20) were randomly divided into two groups: CM (n = 29; age range = 14.86±1.05 years) and SR (n = 29; age range = 14.68±1.00 years). Both the groups underwent 35 minutes of CM or SR intervention five days a week for 3 weeks respectively and assessments were done for processing speed (using Digit letter substitution test; DLST), psychomotor performance (using Trail Making Test A; TMT-A) and executive functions (using TMT-B) at the baseline and after three weeks of intervention. Informed consent was taken from the parents/guardian of the subjects. Statistical analysis: SPSS 20.0 was used to perform the data analysis. As the data was normally distributed, paired and independent samples t tests were used to perform within and between group comparisons. Results: Within groups comparison revealed significant improvements in DLST, TMT-A and TMT-B total scores in both CM and SR groups (P < 0.01). Between groups comparisons showed that performance in DLST and TMT-A (P < 0.01) was significantly better in CM group as compared to SR group, after the intervention. Though TMT-B performance was better in CM group compared to SR, the results did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Regular practice of CM for 3 weeks is effective in enhancing psychomotor performance and processing speed in teenage students. Key words: Cyclic Meditation (CM), Supine Rest (SR) DLST, TMT, Teenagers Students.