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.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- Studying the experience of meditation through Micro-phenomenology Current Opinion in Psychology October 25, 2018
- Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging? Alzheimer's Research & Therapy June 22, 2018
- The Age‐Well randomized controlled trial of the Medit‐Ageing European project: Effect of meditation or foreign language training on brain and mental health in older adults Alzheimer's & Dementia 2018
- Effect of an 18-Month Meditation Training on Regional Brain Volume and Perfusion in Older Adults JAMA Neurology October 10, 2022
- Functional Connectivity of Prefrontal Cortex in Various Meditation Techniques – A Mini-Review International Journal of Yoga September 1, 2022
and 21 more in the library
Cites 17
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
- Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 11, 2012
- Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 21, 2016
and 12 more in the library