fMRI during Transcendental Meditation practice
Michelle C. Mahone, F. Travis, R. Gevirtz, J. D. Hubbard
Brain and Cognition June 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.02.011 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDuring Transcendental Meditation practice, long-term practitioners showed increased blood flow in brain regions involved in executive function and attention (anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices) and decreased blood flow in arousal-related areas (pons and cerebellum). This pattern, which has not been reported for other meditation practices, suggests that Transcendental Meditation requires minimal effort and involves automatic attentional processes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Within-group design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Long-term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation (mean practice: 34.3 years, each with over 36,000 hours of meditation practice) |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | During Transcendental Meditation, blood flow was higher in executive and attention areas and lower in arousal areas, supporting the understanding that the practice requires minimal effort. |
Abstract
&NA; This study used a within group design to investigate blood flow patterns (fMRI) in 16 long‐term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation (mean practice: 34.3 years with each having over 36,000 h of meditation practice). During Transcendental Meditation practice, blood flow patterns were significantly higher in executive and attention areas (anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices) and significantly lower in arousal areas (pons and cerebellum). This pattern supports the understanding that Transcendental Meditation practice requires minimal effort. During Transcendental Meditation, the attentional system was active (heightened blood flow in anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices) in an automatic manner—decreased blood flow in the pons and cerebellum. This pattern of heightened blood flow in attentional areas and decreased blood flow in arousal areas has not been reported during other meditation practices. Future research should investigate blood flow patterns in different meditation practices in the same study.