Reductions in perceived stress following Transcendental Meditation practice are associated with increased brain regional connectivity at rest.
Giulia Avvenuti, Andrea Leo, Luca Cecchetti, Maria Fatima Franco, F. Travis, D. Caramella, Giulio Bernardi, Emiliano Ricciardi, Pietro Pietrini
Brain and Cognition January 13, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105517 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Naïve subjects (novices to Transcendental Meditation) |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Dose | two daily 20-min sessions |
| Duration | 3 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Three months of Transcendental Meditation practice was associated with decreased perceived anxiety and stress, which correlated with increased functional connectivity among posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, left superior parietal lobule, and right insula. |
Abstract
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is defined as a mental process of transcending using a silent mantra. Previous work showed that relatively brief period of TM practice leads to decreases in stress and anxiety. However, whether these changes are subserved by specific morpho-functional brain modifications (as observed in other meditation techniques) is still unclear. Using a longitudinal design, we combined psychometric questionnaires, structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) to investigate the potential brain modifications underlying the psychological effects of TM. The final sample included 19 naïve subjects instructed to complete two daily 20-min TM sessions, and 15 volunteers in the control group. Both groups were evaluated at recruitment (T0) and after 3 months (T1). At T1, only meditators showed a decrease in perceived anxiety and stress (t(18) = 2.53, p = 0.02), which correlated negatively with T1-T0 changes in functional connectivity among posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), precuneus and left superior parietal lobule. Additionally, TM practice was associated with increased connectivity between PCC and right insula, likely reflecting changes in interoceptive awareness. No structural changes were observed in meditators or control subjects. These preliminary findings indicate that beneficial effects of TM may be mediated by functional brain changes that take place after a short practice period of 3 months.