Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
April 22, 2015
Kathleen A. Garrison, Thomas A. Zeffiro, Dustin Scheinost et al.
309 citations
Meditation is linked to reduced activity in the default mode network, a brain system tied to self-focused thought and mind wandering, even when compared to an active cognitive task rather than just rest. In a larger group than prior studies, meditators showed less default mode network activation during meditation than non-meditators performing a control task. Key regions involved were the posterior cingulate/precuneus and anterior cingulate cortex. These findings suggest that suppression of default mode processing is a central neural process in long-term meditation, extending beyond what is seen during other effortful tasks.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
January 1, 2013
Judson A. Brewer, Kathleen A. Garrison, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
264 citations
The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is consistently activated during self-referential tasks like judging personality traits or mind-wandering, and deactivated during present-centered tasks such as working memory or meditation. Despite this pattern, the PCC's exact role in self-related processes remains unclear. Recent real-time fMRI neurofeedback studies suggest PCC activity may reflect a sub-component of self-reference: 'getting caught up in' one's experience, such as a craving or viewpoint. This review synthesizes converging evidence across cognitive neuroscience domains, including neurophenomenological studies, to support this interpretation.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
January 1, 2013
Kathleen A. Garrison, Juan F. Santoyo, Jake H. Davis et al.
226 citations
Meditators' subjective experiences during a real-time fMRI neurofeedback study align with activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a core region of the default mode network. Reports of undistracted awareness—such as concentration, observing sensory experience, and effortless doing (including not efforting and contentment)—correspond with decreased PCC activity. In contrast, experiences of distracted awareness (distraction, interpreting) and controlling (efforting, discontentment) correspond with increased PCC activity. The findings also generated novel hypotheses, including a distinction between meditating and trying to meditate, offering insights into how meditation relates to mind wandering and self-related thinking.
Brain and Behavior
February 12, 2014
Kathleen A. Garrison, Dustin Scheinost, R. Todd Constable et al.
80 citations
During loving kindness meditation—a practice of directing well-wishing through silent phrases—experienced meditators show reduced brain activity and intrinsic connectivity in the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus compared to novices, regions linked to self-related processing and mind wandering. Meditators also exhibit greater connectivity between the posterior cingulate/precuneus and the left inferior frontal gyrus, while novices show stronger connectivity with other default-mode network regions, the posterior insula, and the parahippocampus/hippocampus. These patterns suggest that loving kindness meditation fosters a present-centered, selfless focus in experienced practitioners relative to beginners.