Omar Singleton

2 papers in the library · 128 citations · publishing 2014-2021

Papers

Change in Brainstem Gray Matter Concentration Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention is Correlated with Improvement in Psychological Well-Being

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 1, 2014 Omar Singleton, Britta K. Hölzel, Mark Vangel et al. 116 citations

Participation in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course led to increases in psychological well-being (PWB) scores, which were positively correlated with increases in gray matter concentration in two bilateral clusters in the brainstem, including the pontine tegmentum, locus coeruleus, nucleus raphe pontis, and sensory trigeminal nucleus. These brain areas are sites of norepinephrine and serotonin synthesis and release, which modulate arousal and mood. No brain regions showed a negative correlation with PWB change. This preliminary finding suggests a neural basis for enhanced well-being through mindfulness training.

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00033 Pons Brainstem Tegmentum Mindfulness-based stress reduction +11

Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity Correlate with Psychosocial Development in Contemplative Practitioners and Controls

Brain Science May 30, 2021 Omar Singleton, Max Newlon, Andres Fossas et al. 12 citations

Contemplative practitioners (long-term meditators and yoga practitioners) show higher levels of maturity development—a measure of adult self-development—than matched controls. Maturity development correlates with cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate, a brain region involved in self-referential and narrative processing. The study identifies a brain network including the posterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and inferior frontal cortex as a primary neural correlate of maturity development.

DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060728 Full text Medicine Psychology