Meditation improves brain functioning

Rowena Ryan

Rowena is a freelance writer who combines her love of writing with her passion for health care. Rowena explores current issues, trends and research to help consumers and professionals make educated choices.
View Bio

View all posts by Rowena Ryan →

GET UPDATES FROM ROWENA RYAN

. Featured, Mind, Recent Articles — By Rowena Ryan on August 16, 2012

Scientists studying Chinese mindfulness meditation known as Integrative Body Mind Training (IBMT) have found that the changes in structural efficiency of white matter in the brain can be related to positive behavioral changes in subjects practicing the technique for a month with a minimum of 11 hours in total.

In a paper from the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists Yi-Yuan Tang of Texas Tech and Michael Posner of the University of Oregon reported that improved mood changes coincided with increased brain signaling connections. They also found an expansion of myelin, the protective fatty tissue that surrounds the nerves.

Combining findings from a previous 2010 study of 45 students under magnetic resonance imaging and the latest data of 68 students under diffusion tensor imaging, IBMT has been shown to change white matter efficiency more than students who are given only relaxation training.

“IBMT differs from other forms of meditation because it depends heavily on the inducement of a high degree of awareness and balance of the body, mind and environment. The meditation state is facilitated through training and trainer-group dynamics, harmony and resonance” says the article.

These results are important as “deficits in activation for this area of the brain have been associated with attention deficit disorder, dementia, depression, schizophrenia and many other disorders”, said Tang, who is now the director of Texas Tech’s Neuroimaging Institute and holder of the Presidential Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and professor in the Department of Psychology.

The research is significant as this pattern of white matter change, a part of the brain network related to self regulation, could provide means for intervention to improve or prevent mental disorders.

This article was repurposed from: http://www.pnas.org/content/104/43/17152.abstract

Tags: brain, dementia, depression, meditation, mind body connection, neuroscience, research, study

Comments are closed.

Using meditation to slow aging

How does meditation work? Meditation is a widely-used mind-body technique in which relaxation and focused attention (contemplation) are combined to produce a heightened state of self-awareness. This is often achieved by concentration on an object, such as a flame, beads, a thought or visualization, or a process, such as breathing, a repetitive prayer or mantra, a sound or an exercise. This ...

Brain training for healthy aging

Working memory a key marker of a healthy brain There is much we can do to enhance our brain’s function. One of the most important parts that can be built up is working memory – the part of our brain used for temporarily storing and manipulating information, such as mental arithmetic, attention span, remembering instructions and following through on them. Working ...

Can’t find my keys! Memory and the aging brain

We'll all experience some decline in our in our cognitive skill as we age, but the key thing that is really causing me concern is my increasing loss of memory. I can’t remember the little things such as if I’ve turned on the alarm when I've left the house. Also when I’m tired, what used to be simple calculations are all ...

Cognitive function and the aging brain

If life was a game, the winner would be the one with the most marbles at the end. Even in the absence of brain diseases such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons, as we age we all experience some decline in our cognitive skills - our ability to think, remember, calculate and learn. But one trick to slow aging is holding on to ...

How can I keep my brain active?

There is no one way to keep your brain active and build brain reserves. Some of us will prefer solving crosswords, playing chess, bridge, Sudoku or other mind-games. Crafts, reading, learning new languages or skills can all be stimulating activities. Options for optimizing brain function as we age: Increase physical activity Try a cardio class at your local gym Have a ...