Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
December 3, 2007
Britta K. Hölzel, Ulrich Ott, Tim Gard et al.
544 citations
Long-term mindfulness meditators show greater gray matter concentration in brain regions linked to interoceptive awareness and meditation, including the right anterior insula, left inferior temporal gyrus, and right hippocampus. In a comparison of 20 Vipassana meditators (averaging 8.6 years of practice, 2 hours daily) with matched non-meditators, the amount of meditation training predicted gray matter concentration in the left inferior temporal gyrus, suggesting a causal impact of practice. The findings indicate that meditation practice is associated with structural brain differences in areas typically activated during meditation and relevant to the task.
Psychological Bulletin
January 1, 2005
Dieter Vaitl, Niels Birbaumer, John Gruzelier et al.
446 citations
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) can occur spontaneously, be evoked by physical or physiological stimulation, induced by psychological means, or caused by diseases. Psychological and neurobiological approaches reveal four dimensions characterizing ASC: activation, awareness span, self-awareness, and sensory dynamics. Neurophysiologically, different states of consciousness arise from compromised brain structure, transient changes in brain dynamics (disconnectivity), and neurochemical and metabolic processes. Environmental stimuli, mental practices, and self-control techniques can also temporarily alter brain functioning and conscious experience.
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B Neuropsychiatric Genetics
June 17, 2005
Ulrich Ott, Martin Reuter, Juergen Hennig et al.
96 citations
The personality trait Absorption—a disposition for altered states of consciousness involving focused attention, vivid imagery, and mystical experiences—is linked to a specific genetic variation. People with the T/T genotype of the T102C polymorphism in the 5-HT2a receptor gene, which produces stronger receptor binding, scored significantly higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale. No independent effect was found for the COMT gene variation, but an interaction between the two genes was significant, highlighting the interplay between serotonin and dopamine systems. These results suggest a biological basis for Absorption.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
August 1, 2013
Dieter Vaitl, Niels Birbaumer, John Gruzelier et al.
43 citations
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