Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners
Julie A. Brefczynski-Lewis, Antoine Lutz, Hillary S. Schaefer, Daniel B. Levinson, Richard J. Davidson
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0606552104 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Age-matched participants including expert meditators and novices |
| Intervention | concentration meditation |
| Topics | Meditation Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Stimulus psychology Aversive stimulus Audiology Cognitive psychology Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 988 |
| Key findings | Brain activation in sustained attention regions showed an inverted u-shaped curve with meditation expertise, and experts showed less activation in discursive thought regions and more in response inhibition regions during distracter sounds. |
Abstract
Meditation refers to a family of mental training practices that are designed to familiarize the practitioner with specific types of mental processes. One of the most basic forms of meditation is concentration meditation, in which sustained attention is focused on an object such as a small visual stimulus or the breath. In age-matched participants, using functional MRI, we found that activation in a network of brain regions typically involved in sustained attention showed an inverted u-shaped curve in which expert meditators (EMs) with an average of 19,000 h of practice had more activation than novices, but EMs with an average of 44,000 h had less activation. In response to distracter sounds used to probe the meditation, EMs vs. novices had less brain activation in regions related to discursive thoughts and emotions and more activation in regions related to response inhibition and attention. Correlation with hours of practice suggests possible plasticity in these mechanisms.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Brain activation in sustained attention regions showed an inverted u-shaped curve with meditation expertise, and experts showed less activation in discursive thought regions and more in response inhibition regions during distracter sounds.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 407
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 402 more in the library
Cites 6
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Meditation alters perceptual rivalry in Tibetan Buddhist monks Current Biology June 1, 2005
and 1 more in the library