Focused attention meditation changes the boundary and configuration of functional networks in the brain
Shogo Kajimura, Naoki Masuda, Johnny King L. Lau, Kou Murayama
Scientific Reports 2020 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75396-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-case experimental design with intensive longitudinal data Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | One human participant |
| Intervention | Focused attention meditation |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Focused attention meditation Contemplation Brain reorganization Brain networks Neural networks Brain architecture Brain connectivity Brain organization Brain structure Neural mechanisms Brain changes Resting state network Brain regions |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key findings | Meditation altered the composition of whole-brain networks, merging FPN regions into the DMN and destabilizing FPN community allegiance. |
Abstract
Research has shown that focused attention meditation not only improves our cognitive and motivational functioning (e.g., attention, mental health), it influences the way our brain networks [e.g., default mode network (DMN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), and sensory-motor network (SMN)] function and operate. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the possibility that meditation alters the architecture (composition) of these functional brain networks. Here, using a single-case experimental design with intensive longitudinal data, we examined the effect of mediation practice on intra-individual changes in the composition of whole-brain networks. The results showed that meditation (1) changed the community size (with a number of regions in the FPN being merged into the DMN after meditation) and (2) led to instability in the community allegiance of the regions in the FPN. These results suggest that, in addition to altering specific functional connectivity, meditation leads to reconfiguration of whole-brain network architecture. The reconfiguration of community architecture in the brain provides fruitful information about the neural mechanisms of meditation