James K. Rilling

2 papers in the library · 225 citations · publishing 2012-2013

Papers

Compassion meditation enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience September 5, 2012 Jennifer S Mascaro, James K. Rilling, Lobsang Tenzin Negi et al. 225 citations

A randomized controlled trial tested whether an eight-week compassion meditation program (cognitive-based compassion training, CBCT) improves the ability to infer others' mental states from facial expressions. Twenty-one healthy adults completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test during fMRI scans before and after either CBCT or a health discussion control group. Those who completed CBCT showed significantly greater improvement in empathic accuracy scores and increased brain activity in the inferior frontal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex compared to controls. Changes in these brain regions correlated with changes in empathic accuracy. The findings suggest CBCT may enhance empathic accuracy and its underlying neural mechanisms.

DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss095 Full text Meditation Empathy Psychological intervention Theory of mind +8

Pre-existing brain function predicts subsequent practice of mindfulness and compassion meditation.

Neuroimage April 1, 2013 Jennifer S Mascaro, James K. Rilling, Lobsang Tenzin Negi et al.

Activity in brain regions linked to empathy, such as the anterior insula, before training predicted how much time people later spent practicing compassion meditation, while activity in the amygdala, a region involved in threat processing, predicted less time practicing mindfulness meditation. After training, there was no difference in brain responses between the compassion meditation group and an active health education control group. The findings suggest that pre-existing neurobiological profiles may influence how readily individuals engage with different meditation techniques.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.021 Full text