Brain Energy Metabolism in Two States of Mind Measured by Phosphorous Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Malik Galijašević, Ruth Steiger, Milovan Regodić, Michaela Waibel, Patrick Julian David Sommer, Astrid Ellen Grams, Nicolas Singewald, Elke Ruth Gizewski
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.686433 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Participants after 7 weeks of focused attention meditation training |
| Duration | 7-week training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain energy metabolism Magnetic resonance Phosphorous Spectroscopy |
| Key findings | Focused attention meditation alters brain energy metabolism, with decreased PCr/ATP, PCr/Pi, and intracellular pH, and increased Pi/ATP, Mg, and Pi in several brain regions compared to a control awake state. |
Abstract
Introduction: Various functional neuroimaging studies help to better understand the changes in brain activity during meditation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how brain energy metabolism changes during focused attention meditation (FAM) state, measured by phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS).
Methods: 31P-MRS imaging was carried out in 27 participants after 7 weeks of FAM training. Metabolite ratios and the absolute values of metabolites were assessed after meditation training in two MRI measurements, by comparing effects in a FAM state with those in a distinct focused attention awake state during a backwards counting task.
Results: The results showed decreased phosphocreatine/ATP (PCr/ATP), PCr/ inorganic phosphate (Pi), and intracellular pH values in the entire brain, but especially in basal ganglia, frontal lobes, and occipital lobes, and increased Pi/ATP ratio, cerebral Mg, and Pi absolute values were found in the same areas during FAM compared to the control focused attention awake state.
Conclusions: Changes in the temporal areas and basal ganglia may be interpreted as a higher energetic state induced by meditation, whereas the frontal and occipital areas showed changes that may be related to a down-regulation in ATP turnover, energy state, and oxidative capacity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Mindfulness in the focus of the neurosciences - The contribution of neuroimaging to the understanding of mindfulness. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 17, 2022
- Three potential neurovascular pathways driving the benefits of mindfulness meditation for older adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2023
Cites 16
- The Meditative Mind: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of MRI Studies BioMed Research International 2015
- Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging? Alzheimer's Research & Therapy June 22, 2018
- Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network Brain and Behavior November 28, 2018
- Short‐term meditation training influences brain energy metabolism: A pilot study on 31 P MR spectroscopy Brain and Behavior December 10, 2020
- Focused attention meditation training modifies neural activity and attention: longitudinal EEG data in non-meditators. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience May 1, 2020
and 11 more in the library