Reduced age-related gray matter loss in the subgenual cingulate cortex in long-term meditators.
Brain Imaging and Behavior December 1, 2021 Florian Kurth, Sára E Zsadanyi, Eileen Luders
Long-term meditation practice is associated with slower age-related gray matter loss in specific subregions of the subgenual cingulate cortex, an area involved in emotional regulation and autonomic functions. In a comparison of 50 long-term meditators (ages 24-77) with 50 matched controls, both groups showed significant age-related decline in four subgenual subregions, but meditators had significantly lower annual tissue loss in left and right area s32 and right area 25. These regions support mood regulation, autonomic processing, and emotion-cognition integration, which are all engaged during meditation. The results suggest that meditation may slow brain aging in these areas.