A longitudinal study of the effect of short-term meditation training on functional network organization of the aging brain.
Scientific Reports April 4, 2017 Francesca A Cotier, Ruibin Zhang, Tatia M C Lee
Eight weeks of meditation training, compared to relaxation training, alters brain network organization in older adults. At the intermediate level, meditation decreased connectivity within the default mode, salience, and somatomotor networks, and reduced connections between the default mode network and other networks. At the local level, it lowered nodal strength in the left posterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral paracentral lobule, and middle cingulate gyrus. These changes are consistent with a shift toward a more self-detached perspective and more efficient processing. The findings suggest short-term meditation may be a beneficial mental training method for the elderly.