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
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 19
- Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 22, 2022
- The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP 2023
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Focused-Attention Meditation Improves Flow, Communication Skills, and Safety Attitudes of Surgeons International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health April 27, 2022
- Within-subject reliability of brain networks during advanced meditation: An intensively sampled 7 Tesla MRI case study. Human Brain Mapping May 1, 2024
and 14 more in the library
Cites 14
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 24, 2012
and 9 more in the library