The Age‐Well observational study on expert meditators in the Medit‐Ageing European project
Antoine Lutz, Olga Klimecki, Fabienne Collette, Géraldine Poisnel, Eider M. Arenaza‐Urquijo, Natalie L. Marchant, Vincent de la Sayette, Géraldine Rauchs, Eric Salmon, Patrik Vuilleumier, Eric Frison, Denis Vivien, Gaël Chételat
Alzheimer's & Dementia 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.trci.2018.11.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 65 years or older with at least 10,000 hours of practice in mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness and compassion meditation |
| Keywords | Observational study Ageing Gerontology Pathology |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | Results are expected to foster understanding of the effects of meditation expertise on aging and of the mechanisms of action underlying meditation interventions. |
Abstract
Introduction: The Age-Well observational, cross-sectional study investigates the affective and cognitive mechanisms of meditation expertise with behavioral, neuroimaging, sleep, and biological measures sensitive to aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Methods: Thirty cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 65 years or older with at least 10,000 hours of practice in mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness and compassion meditation (LKCM) are selected. The outcomes are the neuroimaging brain correlates of MM and LKCM and the assessments of long-term meditation practices on behavioral, neural, and biological measures as compared to nonmeditator older controls from the Age-Well randomized controlled trial.
Results: Recruitment and data collection began in late 2016 and will be completed by late 2019.
Discussion: Results are expected to foster the understanding of the effects of meditation expertise on aging and of the mechanisms of action underlying the meditation intervention in the Age-Well randomized controlled trial. These finding will contribute to the design of meditation-based prevention randomized controlled trials for the aged population and to the exploration of the possible long-time developmental trajectory of meditation training.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- A neuroscience perspective on the plasticity of the social and relational brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences May 1, 2025
- Decoding meditation mechanisms underlying brain preservation and psycho-affective health in older expert meditators and older meditation-naive participants. Scientific Reports November 27, 2024
- Differential Effects of Meditation States on Neural Pain Processing in Novice and Long-Term Meditators Mindfulness April 1, 2026
- Impact of meditation on brain age derived from multimodal neuroimaging in experts and older adults from a randomized trial Scientific Reports October 28, 2025
- EEG Brain Rhythms During Resting-State Wakefulness and Sleep in Elderly Expert Meditators. Journal of Sleep Research July 29, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 18
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
and 13 more in the library