Functional magnetic resonance imaging of hippocampal activation during silent mantra meditation.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) December 1, 2010 Maria Engström, Johan Pihlsgård, Peter Lundberg et al.
Moderately experienced meditators with less than two years of practice show significant activation in the hippocampus and parahippocampal formations during silent mantra meditation, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Activation also occurred in the middle cingulate cortex and precentral cortex, but not in the anterior cingulate cortex, and only small clusters appeared in the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that hippocampal activation occurs early in meditation practice and across different meditation styles, including relaxation. The authors propose further research to clarify whether this hippocampal activity relates to memory consolidation.