Zen and Neural Plasticity without Training or Stimulation: ''Be Aware!''
Dinse Hubert
Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 2011 DOI: 10.3389/conf.fncom.2011.53.00097 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Duration | Three days |
| Topics | Buddhism Neuroplasticity |
| Key points | Investigates whether a three-day Zen meditation retreat alters tactile abilities at the fingertips, using psychophysical measurement. The text frames this within the broader question of how internal mental states such as attention, imagery, or meditation affect perception and behavior without external stimulation. No results, participant numbers, or comparisons are reported in the available text. |
Abstract
As a consequence, changes in the external world alter brain organization, which lead to changes in perception and behaviour. However, little is known [2,3] how purely internal, mental states – such as the focus of attention, imagery or meditation – affect behaviour and performance in the absence of external stimulation. The effects of altered external stimulation of the body on somatosensory representations is well investigated by psychophysically measuring tactile performance of human subjects [4,5]. We here investigated psychophysically the effect of a three day meditative Zen [6] retreat on tactily abilities of the finger tips.