Academic Achievement and the Paired Hoffman Reflex in Students Practicing Meditation

Abstract

The paired H [Hoffman] reflex, considered to be the electrically evoked counterpart of the monosynaptic stretch reflex, provides a measure of motoneuron excitability under a variety of experimental and clinical conditions. It also offers a potentially useful tool in examining the neurophysiologic basis of alterations in reflex response in different states of awareness. The relationships between the paired H reflex and academic achievement was investigated in students practicing the transcendental meditation program. The paired H reflex correlated significantly with grade point average, but not with SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] scores or any of 3 IQ measurements. The facilitation period of the paired H-reflex recovery curve may be a useful indicator of academic achievement, perhaps as a result of its relationship to awareness or wakefulness level.