Mind, mindfulness, and the social brain: Psychobiological understandings and implications
B. Pradhan, R. Gogineni, Shridhar Sharma
Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry October 1, 2018 DOI: 10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_80_18 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Yoga meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Yoga and meditation induce neuroplasticity and produce positive effects on physical and emotional health, including both functional and permanent structural brain changes. |
Abstract
Sociality in primates is determined by the social brain and is the outcome of an intricate and multi-dimensional relationship between the brain size, the richness as well as the selectivity of the neural networks and the behavioral complexities emanating from the bonded relationships that underpin the social coalitions. Accumulating data from the neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience research reveal that the more intricate and extensive are these neural networks, the more powerful is the social experiences. Yoga and meditation practices are ancient and relatively inexpensive yet quite rich experiences with far-reaching health benefits. Their powerful effects are beginning to be understood in terms of their effects on neuroplasticity which is now known to occur in a wide variety of neural circuits with many different simultaneous mechanisms that involves the immensely active neurodynamic model of human brain which has by and large replaced the old static model and has been the major focus of recent research. In the last two decades or so, the major scientific advances have shown positive effects of Yoga and meditation on physical and emotional health including not only functional changes in brain hemodynamic or metabolism, etc. but also, permanent changes in brain structures as well. Embarking upon the psychobiological aspects of the social brain, of the group mind and that of Yoga and meditation, in this chapter we provide a synthesis of their psychobiological concomitants as well as socioclinical implications, both potential and factual, from a diverse array of subspecialties, for example, positive psychology, spirituality, neuroimaging and neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimmunoendocrinology, etc. The purpose of doing so is to provide a synthesis for ensuing richer and multidisciplinary collaborations to understand this fascinating topic which may eventually lead to integrated management of the various maladies of the social brain deficits.
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
Cites 9
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging Current behavioral neuroscience reports October 18, 2016
- d-Serine is a potential biomarker for clinical response in treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder using (R,S)-ketamine infusion and TIMBER psychotherapy: A pilot study. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Proteins and Proteomics March 18, 2018
- [Yoga for mental disorders]. Der Nervenarzt September 1, 2018
- Trauma Interventions using Mindfulness Based Extinction and Reconsolidation (TIMBER) psychotherapy prolong the therapeutic effects of single ketamine infusion on post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression: a pilot randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial July 1, 2017
and 4 more in the library