Mindfulness meditation and consciousness: An integrative neuroscientific perspective.
Jordi Manuello, Ugo Vercelli, Andrea Nani, Tommaso Costa, Franco Cauda
Consciousness and Cognition February 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Anterior cingulate cortex Consciousness Insula Mindfulness meditation Posterior cingulate cortex Thalamus |
| Key findings | The authors propose that consciousness and mindfulness meditation can be integrated within a neuroscientific perspective by identifying brain areas that play an essential role in both: the anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, insula, and thalamus. They also review various hypotheses about the functioning and cerebral correlates of mindfulness meditation and several theories of consciousness. |
Abstract
Although mindfulness meditation has been practiced in the East for more than two millennia, Western scientific research and healthcare programs have only recently drawn their attention to it. Basically, the concept of mindfulness hinges on focusing on one's own awareness at the present moment. In this review we analyze different hypotheses about the functioning and the cerebral correlates of mindfulness meditation. Since mindfulness is strictly associated with a particular state of consciousness, we also examine some of the most relevant theories that have been proposed as accounts of consciousness. Finally, we suggest that consciousness and mindfulness meditation can be integrated within a neuroscientific perspective, by identifying the brain areas which seem to play an essential role in both, namely the anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, insula and thalamus.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
- The Neural Correlates of Consciousness and Attention: Two Sister Processes of the Brain Frontiers in Neuroscience October 31, 2019
- Depression, Mindfulness, and Psilocybin: Possible Complementary Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Psilocybin in the Treatment of Depression. A Review Frontiers in Psychiatry March 31, 2020
- Differences in Functional Connectivity of the Insula Between Brain Wave Vibration in Meditators and Non-meditators Mindfulness March 19, 2018
- Neuroscience of the yogic theory of consciousness Neuroscience of Consciousness 2021
- The claustrum and consciousness: An update. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP September 7, 2023
and 16 more in the library
Cites 38
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
and 33 more in the library