Longitudinal effects of meditation on brain resting-state functional connectivity.
Zongpai Zhang, Wen-Ming Luh, Wenna Duan, Grace D Zhou, George Weinschenk, Adam K. Anderson, Weiying Dai
Scientific Reports May 31, 2021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90729-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Novice meditators from a university meditation course |
| Intervention | focused attention meditation |
| Duration | 2-month intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Two months of focused attention meditation increased resting-state functional connectivity within and between the dorsal attention network and default mode network, with the connectivity between the left superior parietal lobule and medial prefrontal cortex associated with practice time. |
Abstract
Changes in brain resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) were investigated using a longitudinal design by following a 2-month focused attention meditation (FAM) practice and analyzing their association with FAM practice time. Ten novice meditators were recruited from a university meditation course. Participants were scanned with a resting-state fMRI sequence with multi-echo EPI acquisition at baseline and at the 2-month follow-up. Total FAM practice time was calculated from the daily log of the participants. We observed significantly increased rsFC between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and dorsal attention network (DAN), the right middle temporal (RMT) region and default mode network (DMN), the left and right superior parietal lobules (LSPL/RSPL) and DMN, and the LSPL/RSPL and DAN. Furthermore, the rsFC between the LSPL and medial prefrontal cortex was significantly associated with the FAM practice time. These results demonstrate increased connectivity within the DAN, between the DMN and DAN, and between the DMN and visual cortex. These findings demonstrate that FAM can enhance the brain connection among and within brain networks, especially DMN and DAN, indicating potential effect of FAM on fast switching between mind wandering and focused attention and maintaining attention once in the attentive state.
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 28
- Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Long-Term and Meditation-Specific Modulations of Brain Connectivity Revealed Through Multivariate Pattern Analysis Brain Topography March 28, 2023
- Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity As a Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Cognitive Function. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Functional connectivity changes in meditators and novices during yoga nidra practice. Scientific Reports June 5, 2024
and 23 more in the library
Cites 25
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
and 20 more in the library