Scientific research on meditation began in the 1970s with a focus on the physiology of relaxation, while a second ongoing wave emphasizes modes of attention and their neural correlates. Anglo-American scientists have dominated both waves, yet the meditation practices studied have almost exclusively Asian origins. This essay argues that the shifting focus of meditation research is shaped not only by available scientific methods but also by the specific form of meditation under investigation and by influences from society and popular culture.
Meditation that emphasizes a relaxed focus of attention, where thoughts and sensations arise freely, activates specific frontal brain areas distinct from concentrative control tasks. Using fMRI in experienced Acem meditation practitioners, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (BA47) showed significantly greater activation during repetition of a meditation sound compared to concentrative meditation-like tasks. This meditation-specific brain activation did not habituate over time but increased with continuous meditation bouts. The findings suggest that relaxed-focus meditation engages distinct prefrontal cortex regions, offering insight into the neurobiological correlates of such practices.