Dynamic Change of Awareness during Meditation Techniques: Neural and Physiological Correlates.
Ravinder Jerath, Vernon A Barnes, David Dillard-Wright, Shivani Jerath, Brittany Hamilton
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience September 17, 2012 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00131 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes a model in which mindfulness meditation shifts the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance, and argues that this autonomic modulation corresponds to changes in the default mode network's default status, linking prefrontal cortex activity, the cardiac and respiratory center, the thalamus, the amygdala, and cortical functional connectivity. |
Abstract
Recent findings illustrate how changes in consciousness accommodated by neural correlates and plasticity of the brain advance a model of perceptual change as a function of meditative practice.During the mindbody response neural correlates of changing awareness illustrate how the autonomic nervous system shifts from a sympathetic dominant to a parasympathetic dominant state.Expansion of awareness during the practice of meditation techniques can be linked to the Default Mode Network (DMN), a network of brain regions that is active when the one is not focused on the outside world and the brain is restful yet awake (Chen et al., 2008).A model is presented illustrating the dynamic mindbody response before and after mindfulness meditation, and connections are made with prefrontal cortex activity, the cardiac and respiratory center, the thalamus and amygdala, the DMN and cortical function connectivity.The default status of the DMN changes corresponding to autonomic modulation resulting from meditation practice.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Meditation-related activations are modulated by the practices needed to obtain it and by the expertise: an ALE meta-analysis study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- The consciousness state space (CSS)-a unifying model for consciousness and self. Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- Associations between attention, affect and cardiac activity in a single yoga session for female cancer survivors: an enactive neurophenomenology-based approach. Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2014
- Mindfulness and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Implications for Psychological Intervention JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY July 1, 2018
- Mindfulness-Based Intervention Effects on EEG and Executive Functions: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences March 20, 2025
and 11 more in the library
Cites 13
- Mindfulness-induced changes in gamma band activity – Implications for the default mode network, self-reference and attention Clinical Neurophysiology September 21, 2011
- Transcendental Consciousness September 7, 2017
- Mind wandering and attention during focused meditation: a fine-grained temporal analysis of fluctuating cognitive states. Neuroimage January 2, 2012
- Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
- Cerebral blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
and 8 more in the library