Neurobiology of spirituality.
E Mohandas
Mens Sana Monographs 2008 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1229.33001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Spirituality Functional imaging Prefrontal hypothesis Pspl deafferentation |
| Key findings | The author argues that meditation's mental health effects rest on prefrontal and parietal cortical involvement, including activation of the frontal attentional network, prefrontal cortex, and thalamus with the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus, and a resulting functional deafferentation of the parietal lobe. Neurotransmitter changes across all major systems are proposed to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and partly explain meditation's psychotogenic property, though the evidence is described as preliminary and methodologically constrained. |
Abstract
Spiritual practices have been proposed to have many beneficial effects as far as mental health is concerned. The exact neural basis of these effects is slowly coming to light and different imaging techniques have elucidated the neural basis of meditative practices. The evidence though preliminary and based on studies replete with methodological constraints, points toward the involvement of the prefrontal and parietal cortices. The available data on meditation focus on activated frontal attentional network. Neuroimaging studies have shown that meditation results in an activation of the prefrontal cortex, activation of the thalamus and the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus and a resultant functional deafferentation of the parietal lobe. The neurochemical change as a result of meditative practices involves all the major neurotransmitter systems. The neurotransmitter changes contribute to the amelioration of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and in part explain the psychotogenic property of meditation. This overview highlights the involvement of multiple neural structures, the neurophysiological and neurochemical alterations observed in meditative practices.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets | 2012 | Review | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse | 2003 | Review | |
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- A conceptual clarification of the experience of awe: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. The Humanistic Psychologist July 1, 2011
- Spirituality as a Therapeutic Approach for Severe Mental Illness: Insights from Neural Networks Religions April 16, 2024
- Meditation-Induced Psychosis: Trigger and Recurrence Case Reports in Psychiatry August 13, 2021
- Opening the heart: exploring the interpersonal neurobiology of spiritual practices suitable for public education Journal for the Study of Spirituality January 2, 2024
- Effect of yoga and meditation on serum cortisol level in first-year medical students International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences April 25, 2018
and 10 more in the library