Long-Term and Meditation-Specific Modulations of Brain Connectivity Revealed Through Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Brain Topography March 28, 2023 Roberto Guidotti, Antea D’Andrea, Alessio Basti et al. 32 citations
Machine learning applied to fMRI functional connectivity data can distinguish focused attention from open monitoring meditation styles, but only in expert Theravada Buddhist monks, not in novice meditators. The Anterior Salience and Default Mode networks were key for classification, consistent with their roles in emotion and self-regulation during meditation. Specific couplings between areas regulating attention, self-awareness, and somatosensory processing were also important, along with left inter-hemispheric connections. The findings support that extensive meditation practice differentially modulates large-scale brain networks according to meditation style.