Can mindfulness meditation alter consciousness? An integrative interpretation
Jordi Manuello, Ugo Vercelli, Andrea Nani, Tommaso Costa, Franco Cauda
bioRxiv Preprint Server August 13, 2015 preprint DOI: 10.1101/024174 via bioRxiv
Summary
Mindfulness meditation, a practice originating in the East over two millennia ago, has recently drawn the attention of Western neuroscientists. This review summarizes hypotheses about the effects of mindfulness meditation and its cerebral correlates, and presents major theories on consciousness. It proposes an integration of mindfulness meditation with consciousness, supported by the identification of shared brain areas: the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC), Insula, and Thalamus.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Mindfulness meditation and consciousness share involvement of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Posterior Cingulate Cortex, Insula, and Thalamus. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation has been practiced in the East for more than two millennia, but in last years also Western neurscientists drown their attention to it. Mindfulness basically refers to moment to moment awareness. In this review we summarize different hypotheses concerning effects of mindfulness meditation practice and cerebral correlates accounting for these; furthermore we expose some of the most relevant theories dealing with different aspects of consciousness. Finally we propose an integration of mindfulness meditation with consciousness, supported by the identification of brain areas involved in both of them, namely Anterior Cingular Cortex (ACC), Posterior Cingular Cortex (PCC), Insula and Thalamus.