Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem.
Neuroreport January 28, 2009 Peter Vestergaard‐Poulsen, Martijn van Beek, Joshua Skewes et al.
Extensive practice involving sustained attention can lead to changes in brain structure. Here, we report evidence of structural differences in the lower brainstem of participants engaged in the long-term practice of meditation. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we observed higher gray matter density in lower brain stem regions of experienced meditators compared with age-matched nonmeditators....