Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners

Fox, Kieran C. R.; Nijeboer, Savannah; Dixon, Matthew L.; Floman, James L.; Ellamil, Melissa; Rumak, Samuel P.; Sedlmeier, Peter; Christoff, Kalina

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.016

Cited by 634 publications

(536 citation statements)

References 194 publications

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“…This finding is in accordance with meta-analytical synthesis of cross-sectional studies reporting altered PFC/ACC morphology in expert mindfulness meditators relative to controls (42,64). To capture attention-related increases after Presence training in the ReSource Project, a measure of executive attention/conflict resolution was selected (47,50).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…However, most studies have been cross-sectional, focusing on meditation practitioners and not directly assessing training-related plasticity within training-naïve subjects (42). The few published longitudinal training studies on structural plasticity to date have mainly assessed the effects of cultivating a rather broad range of mindfulness-related capacities, including attention, acceptance, and interoceptive awareness (39)(40)(41).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training

Valk¹,

Bernhardt²,

Trautwein³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Although neuroscientific research has revealed experience-dependent brain changes across the life span in sensory, motor, and cognitive domains, plasticity relating to social capacities remains largely unknown. To investigate whether the targeted mental training of different cognitive and social skills can induce specific changes in brain morphology, we collected longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data throughout a 9-month mental training intervention from a large sample of adults between 20 and 55 years of age. By means of various daily mental exercises and weekly instructed group sessions, training protocols specifically addressed three functional domains: (i) mindfulness-based attention and interoception, (ii) socio-affective skills (compassion, dealing with difficult emotions, and prosocial motivation), and (iii) socio-cognitive skills (cognitive perspective-taking on self and others and metacognition). MRIbased cortical thickness analyses, contrasting the different training modules against each other, indicated spatially diverging changes in cortical morphology. Training of present-moment focused attention mostly led to increases in cortical thickness in prefrontal regions, socio-affective training induced plasticity in frontoinsular regions, and sociocognitive training included change in inferior frontal and lateral temporal cortices. Module-specific structural brain changes correlated with training-induced behavioral improvements in the same individuals in domain-specific measures of attention, compassion, and cognitive perspective-taking, respectively, and overlapped with task-relevant functional networks. Our longitudinal findings indicate structural plasticity in well-known socio-affective and socio-cognitive brain networks in healthy adults based on targeted short daily mental practices. These findings could promote the development of evidence-based mental training interventions in clinical, educational, and corporate settings aimed at cultivating social intelligence, prosocial motivation, and cooperation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training

Valk¹,

Bernhardt²,

Trautwein³

et al. 2017

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The field of military medicine has recently recommended MT's use as adjunctive care for servicemembers and veterans suffering from insomnia, PTSD, and chronic pain (Khusid 2013;Khusid andVythilingam 2016a, Khusid andVythilingam 2016b). In addition to recent clinical interest in MT, a literature on MT's neural effects has emerged (see Fox et al 2014Fox et al , 2016. Theoretical accounts suggest that the health-related benefits and neural correlates of MT are tied to functional improvements in cognitive processing that result from regular engagement in MT practices (Creswell 2017;Goldin and Gross 2010;Lutz et al 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

Short-Form Mindfulness Training Protects Against Working Memory Degradation over High-Demand Intervals

et al. 2017

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Periods of persistent and intensive demands may compromise working memory (WM) and increase susceptibility to distraction. We investigated if mindfulness training (MT) may mitigate these deleterious effects and promote cognitive resilience in military cohorts enduring a high-demand interval of military training. To better understand which aspects of MT programs are most beneficial, three military cohorts were examined. Two groups received 8-h variants of an MT course, Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT)®, with one group emphasizing in-class training exercises (M8T, n = 40) and the other emphasizing didactic content (M8D, n = 40). A third group received no training (NTC, n = 46). Performance on a delayed-recognition WM task that varied mnemonic load (1 vs. 2 items) and delayspanning valenced distraction (negative vs. neutral images) was measured before (T1) and after (T2) an 8-week interval. Overall, task accuracy (% correct) was greater on low-vs. high-load trials, as well as trials with neutral vs. negative distraction. Task accuracy did not change over time in a civilian cohort (N = 22). Yet, it declined from T1 to T2 in the military cohorts, with the greatest degradation in NTC, followed by M8D, and near stable performance from T1 to T2 in M8T. This time by group effect significantly varied with load, but not with distracter valence. While NTC's performance degraded over time for both low-and high-load trials, M8D's performance degraded only for high load, and M8T did not show performance degradation for either load condition. These results suggest that MT may protect against WM degradation over high-demand intervals, with training-focused MT programs offering the greatest benefits for maintaining performance in high-load conditions.

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“…When randomized trials of psychological interventions do include measures of brain function or structure, it is common to include just one. For instance, in the rapidly growing field of mindfulness research, there is considerable work examining brain morphometry or functional connectivity, but rarely both Fox et al 2014). This is unfortunate because the combination of measures-including both structural and functional measuresholds great promise in providing a richer characterization of the neural mechanisms underlying effective psychological interventions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An Integrated Assessment of Changes in Brain Structure and Function of the Insula Resulting from an Intensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention

Mooneyham

Mrazek

et al. 2017

J Cogn Enhanc

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Mindfulness training is thought to alter both brain function and structure, yet these effects are almost always investigated and reported independently. In the present study, we combine these two approaches to provide a more complete description of the effects of a 6-week mindfulness-based health and wellness intervention. Region-of-interest analysis of brain structure revealed a significant increase in cortical thickness within the left-hemisphere posterior insula, a region that plays a role in auditory perception and interoception. We then examined changes in the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) of this insula cluster and found two regions with which it displayed increased functional connectivity: one in the right-hemisphere ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and another spanning parts of the left-hemisphere middle and superior temporal gyri (MTG/STG). Individuals with the greatest improvements in dispositional mindfulness showed the greatest increases in insular thickness as well as greater increases in rs-FC of the posterior insula with vlPFC and MTG/STG. The insula, vlPFC, and MTG/STG comprise a structurally connected network involved in, respectively, early auditory perception, the allocation of attention to changes in sounds, and the detailed analysis of fluctuations in sounds. Accordingly, these findings suggest a mechanistic account of the alterations in brain structure and function that underlie changes in auditory processing following a mindfulnessbased intervention.

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Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners

Cited by 634 publications

References 194 publications

Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training

Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training

Short-Form Mindfulness Training Protects Against Working Memory Degradation over High-Demand Intervals

An Integrated Assessment of Changes in Brain Structure and Function of the Insula Resulting from an Intensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention

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