Altered processing of self-related emotional stimuli in mindfulness meditators.
Neuroimage January 1, 2016 J Lutz, A B Brühl, N Doerig et al.
Mid-to-long-term mindfulness meditators show distinct brain activity and emotional responses to self-criticism and self-praise compared to meditation-naïve individuals. In an fMRI study with 22 meditators and 22 matched controls, meditators had greater activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during both self-criticism and self-praise, which correlated with higher scores on non-reactivity to inner experience. Meditators also showed reduced functional connectivity between this region and posterior midline and parietal areas, suggesting less self-focus. Behaviorally, meditators reported smaller differences in emotional response between self-criticism and self-praise than controls, indicating more mindful regulation of self-related emotions.