Mindfulness Meditation and Network Neuroscience: Review, Synthesis, and Future Directions.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging – April 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindfulness meditation may significantly alter brain organization, particularly in key areas like the anterior cingulate cortex and thalamus. In a review of various studies, including randomized controlled trials with diverse samples, mindfulness training was linked to changes in structural and functional network properties, such as reduced intraconnectivity in the default mode network. While findings on overall connectivity metrics remain mixed, these insights highlight the potential of mindfulness to reshape brain networks, emphasizing the need for rigorous methodologies in future investigations.
Abstract
Network neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, which can be used to understand the brain by examining the connections between its constituent elements. In recent years, the application of network neuroscience approaches to study the intricate nature of the structural and functional relationships within the human brain has yielded unique insights into its organization. In this review, we begin by defining network neuroscience and providing an overview of the common metrics that describe the topology of human structural and functional brain networks. Then, we present a detailed overview of a limited but growing body of literature that has leveraged network neuroscience metrics to demonstrate the impact of mindfulness meditation on modulating the fundamental structural and functional network properties of segregation, integration, and influence. Although preliminary, results across studies suggest that mindfulness meditation results in a shift in connector hubs, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, the thalamus, and the mid-insula. Although there is mixed evidence regarding the impact of mindfulness training on global metrics of connectivity, the default mode network exhibits reduced intraconnectivity following mindfulness training. Our review also underscores essential directions for future research, including a more comprehensive examination of mindfulness training and its potential to influence structural and functional connections at the nodal, network, and whole-brain levels. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of open science, adoption of rigorous study designs to improve the internal validity of studies, and the inclusion of diverse samples in neuroimaging studies to comprehensively characterize the impact of mindfulness on brain organization.