NEW MINDFULNESS RESEARCH

People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind without judging or resisting them. They simply live in the moment.

Several studies have shown that this type of meditation may have beneficial effects on long-term emotional stability and, consequently, on disorders such as anxiety and major depression. A new study reveals that this mind training has an influence on the default brain network of experienced meditators when they are at rest. Differences in the brain indicate that meditation contributes to better concentration and more objective self-thought.

"We studied the brains of 13 meditators with over 1,000 hours of practice and 11 beginners by analyzing functional connectivity," says Veronica Taylor, the lead author of the study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Advance Access in March 2012.

Functional connectivity refers to the synchronization between two or more brain regions that changes over time during a specific task or at rest. This method of analysis can be applied to data from functional magnetic resonance imaging. "Participants remained in a CT scanner for a few minutes and were asked to do nothing," explained Taylor, who is currently completing her Ph.D. in psychology under the supervision of Professor Pierre Rainville at the Universitéé de Montrééal.

These analyses enabled the researchers to identify subjects’’ default brain network, i.e., the set of regions activated at rest when the person is not performing a particular activity.

"We wanted to assess whether the effects of mindfulness meditation persisted beyond the practice," said the doctoral student. "We hypothesized that the default brain network of meditators is structured differently. The default network is associated with daydreaming and self-thought when one is doing ‘‘nothing.’’ In fact, we thought we would find a different organization because these individuals are used to being in the moment, and their thoughts do not go in all directions when at rest."

Indeed, the results show weaker synchronization between the ventral and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. "The dorsal part is involved in cognitive processes associated with the self, while the ventral part is associated with emotional self-evaluation," says Taylor. Because these areas are less interrelated, it shows that these people think about themselves more objectively." She adds that the more participants had experience with meditation the weaker the connection, which, according to her, "gives weight to the results."

A curious and interesting fact: the subjects had greater synchronization between areas that all converge in the right parietal lobe. This area is known for having a role in attention, suggesting perhaps a long-term beneficial effect of meditation, but which remains to be proven by research specifically studying attentional processes," says the student.

Although the subjects were tested at rest, Taylor has first-hand knowledge of the tangible benefits of mindfulness meditation in everyday life. "I have practiced meditation for several years and have noticed that my attention is longer and steadier when I concentrate."

"There is still much to discover about the power of meditation," she says. In the meantime, she suggests everyone take it up. "It doesn’’t cost anything and you can meditate anywhere and anytime…… and the benefits are real. "

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There have been a number of studies over the past few years that suggest that the practice of meditation can lead to significant pain relief. (I posted on one such study way back in April.) Despite these findings, the mechanism through which meditation causes such relief hasn’’t been fully ascertained. However, as Anne Trafton reports, a recent study published in Brain Research Bulletin suggests that the answer may lie in the manipulation of alpha waves. Alpha waves are brain waves that originate primarily in the occipital lobes, and their function is being actively researched.

A 1966 study showed that a group of Buddhist monks who meditated regularly had elevated alpha rhythms across their brains. In the new study, the researchers followed 12 subjects who had never meditated before and looked at the waves’’ role in a specific part of the brain——cells of the sensory cortex that process tactile information from the hands and feet. Half the participants were told not to meditate, while the other half were trained in a technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction. The first two weeks of training were devoted to learning to pay close attention to body sensations.

After eight weeks, the subjects who had been trained in meditation showed larger changes in the size (amplitude) of their alpha waves when asked to pay attention to a certain body part——for example, the left foot. In addition, these changes in wave size occurred more rapidly in the meditators.

These findings suggest that the practice of meditation can lead to changes in alpha wave behavior, which in turn may lead to the pain relief. There is some research that suggests that alpha waves can be involved in inhibiting communication in the brain, and in the case of meditation, it may be that meditators are able to accordingly inhibit their pain signals.

There is, obviously, a very long way to go in tracking this down. This is a study with only 12 participants over the course of 8 weeks, and none of the subjects were chronic pain sufferers. So these results are far from the last word on the subject of meditation. They are, however, very intriguing.

fibromyalgia

Serotonin is a vital neurotransmitter which is needed for proper function of the brain. Serotonin elevates mood and increases energy. Many medications for mood disorders work by boosting serotonin levels. People who meditate have significantly increased levels of serotonin in their body.

Endorphins

Endorphins are neurotransmitters created in the body to internally alleviate pain. Endorphins are responsible for increased pleasure and an overall sense of well-

being. They also lower blood pressure and are believed to fight cancer.

People who consistently practice mindful meditation have been found to have considerably higher levels of endorphins. Aside from meditation, exercise boosts endorphin levels as well, causing the pleasurable feeling you get after exercise.

Michael Locklear is a researcher and consultant with 30 years experience, studying health, nutrition, and human behavior. He has been president of the Global Peace Project since 1986, and he administrates the website www.Natural-Remedies-for-Total-Health.com as part of the Global Peace Project Educational Outreach Program. You can also find him on The Total Health Blog