Brain Activation During Compassion Meditation: A Case Study
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2010 Maria Engström, Birgitta Söderfeldt 66 citations
In one experienced compassion meditator, generating feelings of love and compassion while reciting a mantra activated the left medial prefrontal cortex extending to the anterior cingulate gyrus, as well as the right caudate body extending to the right insula and the left midbrain near the hypothalamus. These brain areas are involved with empathy and pleasant feelings, supporting the hypothesis that compassion meditation engages neural circuits related to social emotions.