The posterior cingulate cortex as a plausible mechanistic target of meditation: findings from neuroimaging.
Judson A. Brewer, Kathleen A Garrison
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12246 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | FMRI Mind wandering Task-positive network |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training targets the posterior cingulate cortex and other default mode network regions, with neuroimaging studies showing altered brain activity during meditation. |
Abstract
There has been an increased interest in mindfulness and meditation training over the past decade. As evidenced by exponential growth in the number of publications since the beginning of the 21st century, progressively more is becoming known about both the clinical efficacy and underlying neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness training. This paper briefly highlights psychological models of stress that converge between ancient and modern day (e.g., operant conditioning); identifies key brain regions that, with these models, are biologically plausible targets for mindfulness (e.g., posterior cingulate cortex); and discusses recent and emerging findings from neuroimaging studies of meditation therein, including new advances using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback in neurophenomenological studies.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 62
- Contemplating Mindfulness at Work Journal of Management November 19, 2015
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2018
- Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience Neuroscience of Consciousness 2017
- Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2018
and 57 more in the library
Cites 18
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2002
- Guiding the study of brain dynamics by using first-person data: Synchrony patterns correlate with ongoing conscious states during a simple visual task Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 22, 2002
- Mindfulness Meditation for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Substance Abuse October 1, 2009
and 13 more in the library