Focused attention meditation in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional functional MRI studies.
Saampras Ganesan, Emillie Beyer, Bradford A. Moffat, Nicholas T. van Dam, Valentina Lorenzetti, Andrew Zalesky
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews October 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104846 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractFocused attention meditation consistently engages three key functional brain networks: the Default-mode, Salience, and Executive Control networks. A quantitative meta-analysis of 10 functional MRI studies (200 participants) showed that meditation expertise, mindfulness levels, and attentional skills influence the magnitude, but not the regional extent, of activation and functional connectivity in these networks. A unified neurocognitive brain-network model of focused attention meditation is proposed.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 200 |
| Population | Meditation practitioners |
| Intervention | Focused attention meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Activation likelihood estimation Focused attention Functional MRI Meta-analysis |
| Key finding | Focused attention meditation consistently engages Default-mode, Salience, and Executive Control networks, with meditation expertise and mindfulness influencing activation magnitude but not regional extent. |
Abstract
Meditation trains the mind to focus attention towards an object or experience. Among different meditation techniques, focused attention meditation is considered foundational for more advanced practices. Despite renewed interest in its functional neural correlates, there is no unified neurocognitive model of focused attention meditation developed via quantitative synthesis of contemporary literature. Hence, we performed a quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis of all functional MRI studies examining focussed attention meditation. Following PRISMA guidelines, 28 studies were included in this review, of which 10 studies (200 participants) were amenable to activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. We found that regions comprising three key functional brain networks i.e., Default-mode, Salience, and Executive Control, were consistently implicated in focused attention meditation. Furthermore, meditation expertise, mindfulness levels and attentional skills were found to significantly influence the magnitude, but not regional extent, of activation and functional connectivity in these networks. Aggregating all evidence, we present a unified neurocognitive brain-network model of focused attention meditation.