Reduced age-related gray matter loss in the subgenual cingulate cortex in long-term meditators.
Florian Kurth, Sára E Zsadanyi, Eileen Luders
Brain Imaging and Behavior December 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00578-6 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractLong-term meditation practice is associated with slower age-related gray matter loss in specific subregions of the subgenual cingulate cortex, an area involved in emotional regulation and autonomic functions. In a comparison of 50 long-term meditators (ages 24-77) with 50 matched controls, both groups showed significant age-related decline in four subgenual subregions, but meditators had significantly lower annual tissue loss in left and right area s32 and right area 25. These regions support mood regulation, autonomic processing, and emotion-cognition integration, which are all engaged during meditation. The results suggest that meditation may slow brain aging in these areas.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | 50 long-term meditation practitioners and 50 age- and sex-matched controls, aged 24 to 77 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Aging Cingulate cortex Gray matter MRI |
| Key finding | Long-term meditators showed significantly lower rates of annual gray matter loss in left and right area s32 and right area 25 of the subgenual cingulate compared to controls. |
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that meditation practices have positive effects on brain ageing overall. The cingulate is known to be recruited during meditation, but research into possible effects of meditation on the ageing of the cingulate is currently missing. Thus, the present study was designed to help close this knowledge gap, with particular focus on the subgenual cingulate, a region involved in emotional regulation and autonomic and endocrine functions, making it potentially relevant for meditation. Here, we investigated differences in age-related gray matter loss between 50 long-term meditation practitioners (28 male, 22 female), aged between 24 and 77, and 50 age- and sex-matched controls. Areas of interest were four subregions of the subgenual cingulate gyrus (areas 25, 33, s24, and s32) defined as per the Julich-Brain atlas. Our study revealed a significant age-related decline in all subregions in both meditators and controls, but with significantly lower rates of annual tissue loss in meditators, specifically in left and right area s32 and right area 25. These regions have been shown to play a role in mood regulation, autonomic processing, and the integration of emotion and cognitive processes, which are all involved in and impacted by meditation. Overall, the results add further evidence to the emerging notion that meditation may slow the effects of ageing on the brain.