Neuroreport
November 7, 2005
Sara W. Lazar, Catherine E. Kerr, Rachel H. Wasserman et al.
1,707 citations
Long-term meditation practice is linked to structural changes in the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging of 20 experienced Insight meditation practitioners showed greater cortical thickness in regions involved in attention, interoception, and sensory processing, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula, compared to matched controls. The difference in prefrontal thickness was most pronounced in older participants, suggesting meditation may counteract age-related cortical thinning. Thickness in two regions also correlated with meditation experience. These findings provide the first structural evidence that meditation practice can induce experience-dependent cortical plasticity.
Frontiers in Psychology
June 9, 2015
Norman A. S. Farb, Jennifer Daubenmier, Cynthia Price et al.
630 citations
Interoception, the sense of internal bodily signals, is essential for embodiment, motivation, and well-being but remains poorly understood. This review integrates perspectives from neuroscience, clinical practice, and contemplative studies, introducing an expanded taxonomy of interoceptive processes. It argues that many of these processes can be explained by a predictive coding model of mind-body integration, which describes tension between expected and felt body sensations. This model parallels contemplative theories and links interoception to affective and psychosomatic disorders. Maladaptive interpretation of bodily sensations may underlie many contemporary maladies, and contemplative practices may reduce these biases, restoring a sense of presence and agency.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
January 1, 2013
Catherine E. Kerr, Matthew D. Sacchet, Sara W. Lazar et al.
329 citations
Standardized mindfulness practices that focus attention on breath and body sensations may work by training the brain to better regulate alpha rhythms (7-14 Hz) in the primary somatosensory cortex. These alpha rhythms filter sensory information entering the neocortex. The framework suggests that in chronic pain, somatic attention in mindfulness reduces pain-focused attentional resources by altering alpha activity. In depression relapse prevention, somatic attention competes with rumination, as internal cognitive processes rely on alpha filtering. A computational model predicts enhanced top-down modulation of alpha through precise timing changes in thalamocortical inputs. The theory aligns with Buddhist teachings that mindfulness begins with mindfulness of the body, proposing that enhanced alpha regulation improves detection and regulation of mind-wandering.
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.