Mindfulness and the Brain Prof. Harald Walach Institute of Transcultural Health Studies European University Viadrina Frankfurt(Oder), Germany

Necker Cube - Bistable Image Test Sauer et al (2012) Personality & Ind Diff 52:750

38 experienced meditators (15.4 years of experience) and 38 matched controls


6 years) vs. controls anatomical and functional MRI thicker cortex in Insula (enteroception) frontal and prefrontal Sulci (emotion regulation)

stronger vascularisation, glia, or axonal growth functional changes

r = .72 correlation with experience

Changed brain structures in meditators - 2 Hölzel et al (2008) SCAN 3:55

20 experienced meditators vs. controls more grey matter - left temporal gyrus - right insula - right hippocampus

Changed Brain Structures in Meditators - 3 Hölzel et al (2009) SCAN doi:10.1093/scan/nsp034

36 stressed persons - MBSR training - fMRI scan pre and post training - changes in stress perception - reduced thickness of right amygdala - changes correlate

Mindfulness Changes the Way Sad Stimuli Are Processed Farb et al (2010) Emotion 10:25

No Changes in Brain Mass or Cognitive Function as a Function of Age in Meditators Pagnoni (2007) Neurobiol Aging 28: 1623

total brain mass

attention

left putamen

reaction time

13 Zen meditators and 13 controls

Enhanced Brain Connectivity in Long-Term Meditators Luders et al (2011) NeuroImage 57:1308

9 of 11 connectivities significantly different average meditation practice: 23 years age matched control

Signature of Meditation States Hinterberger et al (2014) Frontiers Neurosc, in print

64 channel EEG in 50 experienced meditators laboratory task

Results - 1 During meditation there is mainly reduced activity (EEG power spectrum)

Results 2 Experienced meditators are better at deactivation and reducing energy expenditure

Summary Meditation experience changes brain structure grey matter and connectivity

Less activation and less inhibition Less baseline activity - less "default mode network" activity correlated to mind wandering and cognitive decline in old age

Less brain "ageing"? Better attentional capacities