Short-term meditation increases network efficiency of the anterior cingulate cortex.
Shaowei Xue, Yi-Yuan Tang, Michael I Posner
Neuroreport August 24, 2011 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0b013e328348c750 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Intervention study (pre-post with control group) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Integrative body-mind training (IBMT) Relaxation training |
| Dose | 11 h |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | After 11 hours of IBMT, network efficiency and connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex increased significantly, but not after relaxation training, suggesting IBMT may enhance self-regulation by altering brain network topology. |
Abstract
Previous studies have found that short-term integrative body-mind training (IBMT) has positive effects on the brain structure and function in the anterior cingulate cortex. Here, we determined whether 11 h of IBMT alters topological properties of the anterior cingulate cortex in brain functional networks. We applied network analysis to resting-state functional connectivity between 90 cortical and subcortical regions before and after IBMT and relaxation training. The results demonstrated a significant increase in the network efficiency and connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex after IBMT, but not after relaxation training. These findings indicated that the change in network topology might occur by altering the brain or psychological state. IBMT might be an intervention tool for improvement of self-regulation.