A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations
Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009 A. Chiesa, A. Serretti 752 citations
Mindfulness meditation (MM) practices are linked to specific neurobiological changes and clinical benefits across psychiatric disorders, physical illnesses, and healthy individuals. Electroencephalographic studies show increased alpha and theta activity during meditation. Neuroimaging reveals activation of the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, with long-term practice enhancing attention-related brain areas. Clinically, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction benefits many conditions and healthy subjects; Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy reduces depression relapse in patients with three or more episodes; Zen meditation lowers blood pressure; and Vipassana meditation reduces substance abuse in prisoners. However, low-quality study designs make it unclear whether benefits stem from specific or non-specific effects.