| Qigong originating in China is a self-training approach of the body and mind. Although there are varieties of qigong exercises, it is common to emphasize relaxation and meditation. In the process of meditation ,the functional change of the brain plays a leading role. In recent years EEG has been used in observation of the cerebral functional change. Only with the qualitative analysis of the changes of EEG in the course of meditation can we have a comprehensive understanding of the influence of qigong training on the cerebral function.The aim of this study is to observe the beneficial effects of short periods (two months) three-thread relaxation training on electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography of frontal muscle, skin temperature and mood. It focuses on the correlation between the extents of alteration in index of EEG and the personality and behavior pattern of the subject. At the same time, we discuss the neuroendocrine and autonomous mechanisms underlying meditation and relaxation, and try to find more evidence that will make this technology apply in the clinical practices better. 68 subjects in the study group and 32 subjects in the control group were involved in this experiment. All the subjects were college students in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The study group received relaxation training, while the control group without. In two months observation, the subjects of the study group doing three-thread relaxation training for 20 minutes every day. Both groups were tested Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) before and during the study. The study group were also tested electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography and skin temperature before and after the observation. The correlation between the personality and the extents of alteration in index of EEG were also studied. The results showed that after relaxation training the α index of all the eight cerebral regions elevated, especially that of the frontal, central and temporal regions. At the same time , the β index of each region decreased significantly. Not only the coherence function value of the left and right cerebral regions elevated, but also that of the anterior and posterior cerebral regions elevated. The relaxation training also affected the Synthetic index (SI). High wakefulness, Low-activation coefficient, Frontal superiority (FS), Quietness, and Synthetic index were significantlyincreased after training. The extents of alteration in index of EEG were correlated positively with the N-score of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the total score and TH-score of Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP). It was observed that there was a higher tendency of EEG synchronization after training, the brain activity changed from "active" to "harmonious" and "calm". Changes of EEG indicate that qigong meditation may bring the cerebral activity towards synchronization, coordination and random to relieve mental stress.After training, the electromyography of frontal muscle and skin temperature were also improved in study group. After training, the scores of PSQI and SAS, the total score and each factor score of SCL-90 in study group were significantly lower compared with those before training. The most significant issue was that, along with the increase of prolonged duration of training, the scores mentioned above went down. It seemed that there was some dosage-effect relations. While in control group, the subjects' psychologist situations became worse because the stress that the final examination was coming. Although there were no significant difference between the study group and control group at the beginning, the scores of PSQI and SAS in study group were significantly lower compared with the results of control group at the end of the observation.The research indicates that relaxation can improve psychosomatic states of undergraduates. The extents of alteration in index of EEG were correlated with the personality and behavior pattern of the subject. Rela... |
PDF Full Text Request