The psychological and neurophysiological concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation
Acta Neuropsychiatrica April 1, 2007 Belinda Ivanovski, Gin S. Malhi 282 citations
A review of psychological and neurophysiological research on mindfulness meditation finds that mindfulness-based therapeutic interventions appear effective for depression, anxiety, psychosis, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal or self-harm behavior. Mindfulness meditation alone reduces substance use and recidivism in incarcerated populations, but its direct effectiveness for psychiatric disorders has not been specifically investigated. Electroencephalography research shows increased alpha, theta, and beta activity in frontal and posterior regions, with some gamma band effects, and theta activity strongly relates to meditation experience, though findings are inconsistent. Few neuroimaging studies suggest volumetric and functional changes in key brain regions, indicating a promising avenue for future research.