PCC-hippocampal functional connectivity associated with stress biomarker changes after meditation training for healthy adults.
Diane Joss, Gunes Sevinc, John W. Denninger, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Elizabeth A Hoge, Manoj Bhasin, Jeffery A. Dusek, Eric A Macklin, Towia A Libermann, Gregory L Fricchione, Herbert Benson, Sara W. Lazar
Neuroscience Letters May 23, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138272 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 94 |
| Population | Chronically stressed but otherwise healthy adults |
| Interventions | Meditation training Yoga Stress education |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Biomarker Inflammation MRI Wellbeing Wellness Yoga Stress education Brain imaging Brain connectivity Neural changes Brain pathways Stress response Physical health |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Only meditation training, not yoga or stress education, reduced PCC-hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity, and those changes correlated with improvements in stress, allostatic load, and anti-inflammatory gene expression. |
Abstract
Meditation training has been shown to improve physical and mental health and promote neural plasticity, but more research is needed on the relationships between these effects. This study analyzed the Resting State Functional Connectivity (RSFC) of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) among 94 chronically stressed but otherwise healthy adults randomized 1:1:1 to receive eight weeks of in-person one-on-one interventions focused either on meditation (n = 32), yoga (n = 31), or stress education (n = 31). We found only in the meditation arm, there was a significant reduction of PCC RSFC with the left hippocampus (p < 0.05, FWE corrected). Post-intervention changes of PCC-hippocampal RSFC were significantly (all p ≤ 0.01) correlated with changes of perceived stress (r = 0.54), allostatic load index (r = 0.58), and NF-κB anti-inflammatory gene expression (r = -0.55), suggesting the neural effects of meditation are closely associated with biomarkers of physical wellness. No significant changes with PCC RSFC were observed within the yoga or stress education arm, suggesting this neurobiological mechanism might be unique to meditation training.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 21
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- Neural mechanisms of symptom improvements in generalized anxiety disorder following mindfulness training NeuroImage: Clinical 2013
- Mindfulness in the focus of the neurosciences - The contribution of neuroimaging to the understanding of mindfulness. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 17, 2022
and 16 more in the library