Alterations of regional cerebral glucose metabolism using18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography and electroencephalography analysis during mindfulness breathing in Anapanasati meditation: A preliminary analysis.
Chanisa Chotipanich, Supatporn Tepmongkol, Yodchanan Wongsawat, Attapon Jantarato
World journal of nuclear medicine 2021 DOI: 10.4103/wjnm.wjnm_94_20 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Right-handed volunteer participants |
| Intervention | Anapanasati meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Anapanasati meditation Electroencephalography Positron-emission tomography |
| Key points | Anapanasati meditation increased regional cerebral glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex and, visually, in the whole frontal lobe, with visible frontal alpha waves on EEG. |
Abstract
Anapanasati is a core meditation of a breath-centered practice in the Buddhist Theravada tradition, which may have some neurological mechanism effects on the brain. To gain insight into the neurological mechanisms involved in Anapanasati meditation, we measured the alterations of regional cerebral glucose metabolism during Anapanasati meditation using positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. This prospective study was conducted in six right-handed volunteer participants (two men, four women; aged: 32-67 years) who underwent18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT scans to compare the alterations of regional cerebral glucose metabolism during normal consciousness and Anapanasati meditation states. Spectral EEG analysis was performed throughout the investigations. Statistical parametric mapping was used for the18F-FDG PET/CT image analyses. The visual analysis demonstrated moderate-to-marked increased metabolism in posterior cingulate cortex in all six patients, while mild-to-moderate increased uptake in the whole frontal lobe was also observed in four patients and precuneus in four patients. Meanwhile, the semiquantitative analysis yielded an increase of regional cerebral glucose metabolism in the right mid-to-posterior cingulate gyrus (P < 0.000), with visible alpha waves on the frontal of the EEG findings. Our semiquantitative analysis showed a significantly increased metabolism only in the posterior cingulate cortex, but visually, there was also an increased metabolism in the whole frontal lobe in most of the patients correlating with EEG findings.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of focused attention meditation: A scoping systematic review Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Metabolomic profiles impacted by brief mindfulness intervention with contributions to improved health. Scientific Reports July 25, 2025
- Implementing twelve-weeks of loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness of breathing for adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury and their parents: a mixed method pilot study. BMC Psychology July 23, 2025
- Effect of Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation on Quality of Life in Computer Users with Chronic Low Back Pain Journal of Applied Consciousness Studies 2023
- Integrated effect of yoga and mindfulness meditation on pain, functional disability, and spinal flexibility in computer users with chronic low back pain: A prospective randomized active control trial Yoga Mimamsa 2022
Cites 11
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- Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience April 24, 2013
- EEG dynamics of experienced Zen meditation practitioners probed by complexity index and spectral measure Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology 2009
and 6 more in the library