BrainAGE and regional volumetric analysis of a Buddhist monk: a longitudinal MRI case study.
Nagesh Adluru, Cole H Korponay, Derek L Norton, Robin I Goldman, Richard J Davidson
Neurocase April 2020 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2020.1731553 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Longitudinal Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and expert meditator, compared with a control population |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Keywords | Buddhist monk MRI Case Study Long-term meditator Machine learning |
| Key findings | The brain-aging rate of expert meditator Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche appeared slower than that of controls, suggesting early maturation and delayed aging; at 41 years his brain resembled that of a 33-year-old. No specific regional changes differentiated him from controls, suggesting the differences may arise from coordinated changes spread throughout the gray matter. |
Abstract
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (YMR) is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and renowned meditation practitioner and teacher who has spent an extraordinary number of hours of his life meditating. The brain-aging profile of this expert meditator in comparison to a control population was examined using a machine learning framework, which estimates "brain-age" from brain imaging. YMR's brain-aging rate appeared slower than that of controls suggesting early maturation and delayed aging. At 41 years, his brain resembled that of a 33-year-old. Specific regional changes did not differentiate YMR from controls, suggesting that the brain-aging differences may arise from coordinated changes spread throughout the gray matter.