Short-term meditation increases blood flow in anterior cingulate cortex and insula.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2015 Yi-Yuan Tang, Qilin Lu, Hongbo Feng et al.
Five days of integrative body-mind training (IBMT, 30 minutes per day) significantly increased cerebral blood flow in the subgenual/ventral anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and insula. Both IBMT and relaxation training increased left-lateralized cerebral blood flow, but only IBMT improved blood flow in the left anterior cingulate cortex and insula, brain regions important for self-regulation. These changes are associated with improved positive mood and frontal asymmetry.