Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78\n functional neuroimaging investigations
Kieran C. R. Fox, Matthew L. Dixon, Savannah Nijeboer, Manesh Girn, James L. Floman, Michael Lifshitz, Melissa Ellamil, Peter Sedlmeier, Kalina Christoff
arXiv (Cornell University) March 21, 2016 preprint DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1603.06342 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 527 |
| Population | Meditation practitioners |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Insula Functional neuroimaging Meta-analysis Cognitive psychology Posterior cingulate Mantra Clinical psychology |
| Key findings | Four common styles of meditation produce reliably dissociable patterns of brain activation and deactivation, congruent with their psychological aims. |
Abstract
Meditation is a family of mental practices that encompasses a wide array of\ntechniques employing distinctive mental strategies. We systematically reviewed\n78 functional neuroimaging (fMRI and PET) studies of meditation, and used\nactivation likelihood estimation to meta-analyze 257 peak foci from 31\nexperiments involving 527 participants. We found reliably dissociable patterns\nof brain activation and deactivation for four common styles of meditation\n(focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and\ncompassion/loving-kindness), and suggestive differences for three others\n(visualization, sense-withdrawal, and non-dual awareness practices). Overall,\ndissociable activation patterns are congruent with the psychological and\nbehavioral aims of each practice. Some brain areas are recruited consistently\nacross multiple techniques - including insula, pre/supplementary motor\ncortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex - but\nconvergence is the exception rather than the rule. A preliminary effect-size\nmeta-analysis found medium effects for both activations (d = .59) and\ndeactivations (d = -.74), suggesting potential practical significance. Our\nmeta-analysis supports the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation\npractices, but also raises many methodological concerns and suggests avenues\nfor future research.\n
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |