Structural changes in socio‐affective networks: Multi‐modal MRI findings in long‐term meditation practitioners
Haakon Engen, Boris C. Bernhardt, Leon Skottnik, Matthieu Ricard, Tania Singer
Neuropsychologia August 31, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.08.024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Long-term meditation practitioners (LTMs) and meditation-naïve controls |
| Duration | Average of 40,000 hours of practice |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Long-term meditation practitioners showed increased cortical thickness in fronto-insular regions and overlapping fMRI amplitude increases during loving-kindness meditation. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Our goal was to assess the effects of long‐term mental training in socio‐affective skills on structural brain networks. We studied a group of long‐term meditation practitioners (LTMs) who have focused on cultivating socio‐affective skills using loving‐kindness and compassion meditation for an average of 40k h, comparing these to meditation‐naïve controls. To maximize homogeneity of prior practice, LTMs were included only if they had undergone extensive full‐time meditation retreats in the same center. MRI‐based cortical thickness analysis revealed increased thickness in the LTM cohort relative to meditation‐native controls in fronto‐insular cortices. To identify functional networks relevant for the generation of socio‐affective states, structural imaging analysis were complemented by fMRI analysis in LTMs, showing amplitude increases during a loving‐kindness meditation session relative to non‐meditative rest in multiple prefrontal and insular regions bilaterally. Importantly, functional findings partially overlapped with regions of cortical thickness increases in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, suggesting that these regions may play a central role in the generation of emotional states relevant for the meditative practice. Our multi‐modal MRI approach revealed structural changes in LTMs who have cultivated loving‐kindness and compassion for a significant period of their life in functional networks activated by these practices. These preliminary cross‐sectional findings motivate future longitudinal work studying brain plasticity following the regular practice of skills aiming at enhancing human altruism and prosocial motivation. HIGHLIGHTSMultimodal MRI in long‐term meditators (LTMs) and meditation‐naïve controls.Cortical thickening in LTMs vs controls in fronto‐insular regions.Overlap with fMRI amplitude increases during loving‐kindness meditation in LTMs.Findings motivate longitudinal studies addressing training‐related plasticity.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 29
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Biological mechanism study of meditation and its application in mental disorders General Psychiatry July 13, 2020
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Blood Pressure, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Hypertensive Adult Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study. The journal of Tehran Heart Center July 1, 2022
- Bridging the gap of brain and experience - Converging Neurophenomenology with Spatiotemporal Neuroscience. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 1, 2025
and 24 more in the library
Cites 13
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
- Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience April 22, 2015
- A Correspondence between Individual Differences in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture and the Content and Form of Self-Generated Thoughts PLoS One May 13, 2014
and 8 more in the library