An Exploratory Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy Study of Prefrontal Cortex Connectivity during Body Scan Meditation.
Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology November 30, 2025 Seungho Kim, Jihyun Nam, Sang Won Lee
Body scan meditation, a practice of focusing attention on internal bodily sensations, alters prefrontal brain networks differently than resting with nature sounds. In 40 healthy young adults without meditation experience, functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured prefrontal connectivity during both conditions. Greater connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex occurred during rest with nature sounds than during body scan meditation. However, during body scan meditation, stronger connectivity between the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and right medial superior frontal gyrus correlated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms and better emotion regulation abilities. These findings suggest body scan meditation may have therapeutic potential for mental health.