Cerebral blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators
Consciousness and Cognition
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Year:
n.d.
Pages:
899-905
Sources ID:
21388
Visibility:
Private
Zotero Collections:
Contemplation by Applied Subject, Neuroscience and Contemplation, Science and Contemplation
Abstract:
(Show)
We have studied a number of long-term meditators in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in baseline brain function of experienced meditators compared to non-meditators. All subjects were recruited as part of an ongoing study of different meditation practices. We evaluated 12 advanced meditators and 14 non-meditators with cerebral blood flow (CBF) SPECT imaging at rest. Images were analyzed with both region of interest and statistical parametric mapping. The CBF of long-term meditators was significantly higher (p < .05) compared to non-meditators in the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, thalamus, putamen, caudate, and midbrain. There was also a significant difference in the thalamic laterality with long-term meditators having greater asymmetry. The observed changes associated with long-term meditation appear in structures that underlie the attention network and also those that relate to emotion and autonomic function.