Shifting brain asymmetry: the link between meditation and structural lateralization.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience January 1, 2015 Florian Kurth, Allan MacKenzie-Graham, Arthur W Toga et al.
Long-term meditators show altered gray matter asymmetry in brain regions linked to self-referential thought and attention. Compared to 50 matched controls, 50 long-term meditators had decreased rightward asymmetry in the precuneus, a core node of the default mode network. More meditation practice years correlated with stronger leftward asymmetry near the posterior intraparietal sulcus, an area involved in attention, and with stronger rightward asymmetry in the pregenual cingulate cortex. These patterns suggest meditation may adapt the default mode network and attention-related processing.