Short-term effects on brain functional network caused by focused-attention meditation revealed by Tucker3 clustering on graph theoretical metrics
Takuma Miyoshi, Kensuke Tanioka, Shoko Yamamoto, Hiroshi Yadohisa, Tomoyuki Hiroyasu, Satoru Hiwa
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Population | Novice meditators |
| Intervention | Breath-counting meditation |
| Measures | functional connectivity, graph theoretical metrics, amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF, clustering coefficients |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The clustering coefficients of eight brain regions tended to increase during breath-counting meditation compared with resting, and the authors propose that the short-term effects of this focused-attention practice can be explained by network density changes in those eight regions. |
Abstract
Abstract: This study examines the short-term effects of focused-attention meditation on functional brain state in novice meditators. There are a number of feature metrics for functional brain states, such as functional connectivity, graph theoretical metrics, and amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF). It is necessary to choose appropriate metrics and also to specify the region of interests (ROIs) from a number of brain regions. Here, we use a Tucker3 clustering method, which simultaneously selects the feature vectors (graph theoretical metrics and fractional ALFF) and the ROIs that can discriminate between resting and meditative states based on the characteristics of the given data. In this study, breath-counting meditation, one of the most popular forms of focused-attention meditation, was used and brain activities during resting and meditation states were measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results indicated that the clustering coefficients of eight brain regions tended to increase through the meditation. Our results reveal that short-term effects of breath-counting meditation can be explained by network density changes in these eight brain regions.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Minding one’s emotions: Mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion February 1, 2010
and 15 more in the library