Reduced age-associated brain changes in expert meditators: a multimodal neuroimaging pilot study
Gaël Chételat, Florence Mezenge, Clémence Tomadesso, Brigitte Landeau, Eider M. Arenaza‐Urquijo, Géraldine Rauchs, Claire André, Robin de Florès, Stéphanie Egret, Julie Gonneaud, Géraldine Poisnel, Anne Chocat, Anne Quillard, Béatrice Desgranges, Jean-Gérard Bloch, Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz
Scientific Reports August 25, 2017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07764-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 73 |
| Population | Elderly expert meditators and elderly controls |
| Intervention | Meditation practice |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Precuneus Posterior cingulate Insula Neuroimaging Ventromedial prefrontal cortex Cohort Brain size Anterior cingulate cortex Cognition Audiology Magnetic resonance imaging Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 67 |
| Key points | Elderly expert meditators had greater gray matter volume and/or FDG metabolism in multiple brain regions compared to elderly controls, suggesting meditation may reduce age-related brain changes. |
Abstract
Aging is associated with progressive cerebral volume and glucose metabolism decreases. Conditions such as stress and sleep difficulties exacerbate these changes and are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Meditation practice, aiming towards stress reduction and emotion regulation, can downregulate these adverse factors. In this pilot study, we explored the possibility that lifelong meditation practice might reduce age-related brain changes by comparing structural MRI and FDG-PET data in 6 elderly expert meditators versus 67 elderly controls. We found increased gray matter volume and/or FDG metabolism in elderly expert meditators compared to controls in the bilateral ventromedial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, insula, temporo-parietal junction, and posterior cingulate cortex /precuneus. Most of these regions were also those exhibiting the strongest effects of age when assessed in a cohort of 186 controls aged 20 to 87 years. Moreover, complementary analyses showed that these changes were still observed when adjusting for lifestyle factors or using a smaller group of controls matched for education. Pending replication in a larger cohort of elderly expert meditators and longitudinal studies, these findings suggest that meditation practice could reduce age-associated structural and functional brain changes.