The DOI matches its Crossref record; 46 of the 46 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter
Open accessAbstract
Although the systematic study of meditation is still in its infancy, research has provided evidence for meditation-induced improvements in psychological and physiological well-being. Moreover, meditation practice has been shown not only to benefit higher-order cognitive functions but also to alter brain activity. Nevertheless, little is known about possible links to brain structure. Using high-resolution MRI data of 44 subjects, we set out to examine the underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation with different regional specificity (i.e., global, regional, and local). For this purpose, we applied voxel-based morphometry in association with a recently validated automated parcellation approach. We detected significantly larger gray matter volumes in meditators in the right orbito-frontal cortex (as well as in the right thalamus and left inferior temporal gyrus when co-varying for age and/or lowering applied statistical thresholds). In addition, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the right hippocampus. Both orbito-frontal and hippocampal regions have been implicated in emotional regulation and response control. Thus, larger volumes in these regions might account for meditators' singular abilities and habits to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior. We further suggest that these regional alterations in brain structures constitute part of the underlying neurological correlate of long-term meditation independent of a specific style and practice. Future longitudinal analyses are necessary to establish the presence and direction of a causal link between meditation practice and brain anatomy.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“long-term meditation practice can trigger meditation-specific neuroplastic changes in the brain regions underlying cognitive control and affective regulation”
From Potential therapeutic effects of meditation for treating affective dysregulation (2014) · cites this paper as [57]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“A substantial body of research has evidenced that mindfulness and compassion meditation can have a positive impact on attention and affective regulation [54, 55] and can induce long-lasting morphological changes in the corresponding neural regions—specifically, the prefrontal cortices and amygdala [56–58].”
From Potential therapeutic effects of meditation for treating affective dysregulation (2014) · cites this paper as [57]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Studies of subcortical structures have found increased activation or gray matter density in tonic alertness–related areas in meditators, such as the thalamus,83,87,88 basal ganglia,48,88,109,110 and arousal-related areas of the brainstem, such as the reticular formation.111”
From Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness (2014) · cites this paper as [83]
In the citing paper
“Meditation practice has been found to promote well-being by fostering cognitive and emotional processes [5, 6].”
From The meditative mind: a comprehensive meta-analysis of MRI studies. (2015) · cites this paper as [6]
In the citing paper
“Cross-sectional design studies comparing healthy controls with expert meditators (EMs) from different meditation traditions have demonstrated structural MRI changes in: the hippocampus (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009; Kang et al., 2013); right anterior insula (AI; Lazar et al., 2005; Hölzel et al., 2008); orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009; Kang et al., 2”
From Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: Insights from Neurobiological, Psychological, and Clinical Studies (2017) · cites this paper as Luders et al., 2009
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.7455683 · Cited by 18,497 · cited 1×
“Further support for the assumption that increased GM in the orbito-frontal cortex might be associated with less habitual or automatic functioning comes from studying the neurobiological basis of the framing effect (Tversky and Kahneman, 1981).”
BackgroundThe benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822 · Cited by 13,448
Fast robust automated brain extraction
Smith, S. M. (2002) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.10062 · Cited by 10,496
Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods
Ashburner, J., & Friston, K. J. (2000) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2000.0582 · Cited by 8,676
Ashburner, J., & Friston, K. J. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.018 · Cited by 7,507
Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus
Eriksson, P. S., Perfilieva, E., Björk-Eriksson, T., Alborn, A.-M., Nordborg, C., Peterson, D. A., & Gage, F. H. (1998) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/3305 · Cited by 6,369
Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review
Baer, R. A. (2003) · Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy.bpg015 · Cited by 4,577
Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review.
Baer, R. A. (2003) · Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy/bpg015 · Cited by 4,576
Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits
Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(03)00573-7 · Cited by 3,958
Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers
Maguire, E. A., Gadian, D. G., Johnsrude, I. S., Good, C. D., Ashburner, J., Frackowiak, R. S. J., & Frith, C. D. (2000) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.070039597 · Cited by 3,225
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691611419671 · Cited by 3,024
The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
Tang, Y.-Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3916 · Cited by 2,889
Cognitive and emotional control of pain and its disruption in chronic pain
Bushnell, M. C., Čeko, M., & Low, L. A. (2013) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3516 · Cited by 2,076
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011) · Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006 · Cited by 1,914
“…the benefits of meditation, due to its involvement in the modulation of cortical arousal and responsiveness (Newberg and Iversen, 2003), and morphological differences between meditators and non-meditators in the hippocampus have previously been reported (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundInfluentialBrewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y.-Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1112029108 · Cited by 1,409
“found increased gray-matter concentration in the inferior temporal gyrus in experienced meditators (45).”
BackgroundVago, D. R., & Silbersweig, D. A. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00296 · Cited by 1,310
“…increases in gray matter (GM) volume and concentration were found in areas related to EES, including the cerebellum, left SMA, thalamus, caudate, striatum, and parasympathetic control centers of the medulla (Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Luders et al., 2009; Vestergaard-Poulsen et al., 2009).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialGarland, E. L., Fredrickson, B., Kring, A. M., Johnson, D. P., Meyer, P. S., & Penn, D. L. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002 · Cited by 1,035
Fox, K. C. R., Nijeboer, S., Dixon, M. L., Floman, J. L., Ellamil, M., Rumak, S. P., Sedlmeier, P., & Christoff, K. (2014) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.016 · Cited by 804
Meiklejohn, J., Phillips, C., Freedman, M. L., Griffin, M. L., Biegel, G., Roach, A., Frank, J., Burke, C., Pinger, L., Soloway, G., et al. (2012) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-012-0094-5 · Cited by 778
“…correlations between mindfulness training and increased thickness of cortical structures (i.e., grey matter) associated with attention, working memory, processing sensory input, EF, self-reflection, empathy, and affective regulation (Hölzel et al. 2008; Lazar et al. 2005; Luders et al. 2009).”
BackgroundAging, Training, and the Brain: A Review and Future Directions
Lustig, C., Shah, P., Seidler, R. D., & Reuter‐Lorenz, P. A. (2009) · Neuropsychology Review · doi:10.1007/s11065-009-9119-9 · Cited by 732
“Furthermore, although several studies have found increases in gray matter volume associated with meditation, the regions affected vary considerably across studies, raising concerns about the reliability of these effects (see Luders et al. 2009 for a brief discussion).”
Stress reduction correlates with structural changes in the amygdala
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Evans, K. C., Hoge, E. A., Dusek, J. A., Morgan, L., Pitman, R. K., & Lazar, S. W. (2010) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsp034 · Cited by 603
Guendelman, S., Medeiros, S., & Rampes, H. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00220 · Cited by 577
“Cross-sectional design studies comparing healthy controls with expert meditators (EMs) from different meditation traditions have demonstrated structural MRI changes in: the hippocampus (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009; Kang et al., 2013); right anterior insula (AI; Lazar et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialTravis, F., & Shear, J. (2010) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.01.007 · Cited by 522
Desbordes, G., Negi, L. T., Pace, T. W. W., Wallace, B. A., Raison, C. L., & Schwartz, E. L. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00292 · Cited by 458
“…studies which found differences in resting state (Brewer et al., 2011; Jang et al., 2011; Hasenkamp and Barsalou, 2012; Taylor et al., 2012) and in brain morphometry (Lazar et al., 2005; Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Grant et al., 2010; Luders et al., 2011, 2009) in meditators versus non-meditators.”
BackgroundModifiable factors that alter the size of the hippocampus with ageing
Fotuhi, M., Do, D., & Jack, C. R. (2012) · Nature Reviews Neurology · doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2012.27 · Cited by 356
Gotink, R. A., Meijboom, R., Vernooij, M. W., Smits, M., & Hunink, M. G. M. (2016) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.001 · Cited by 338
“…the hippocampus, and the cingulate cortex (Fox et al., 2014; Holzel et al., 2007; Manna et al., 2010; Tomasino et al., 2012), associated with emotion regulation and response control (Fox et al., 2014; Luders et al., 2009; Tomasino, Fregona, Skrap, & Fabbro, 2013; Vestergaard-Poulsen et al., 2009).”
BackgroundBreath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity
Gerritsen, R. J. S., & Band, G. P. H. (2018) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397 · Cited by 342
Mindfulness and emotion regulation—an fMRI study
Lutz, J., Herwig, U., Opialla, S., Hittmeyer, A., Jäncke, L., Rufer, M., Grosse Holtforth, M., & Brühl, A. B. (2014) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nst043 · Cited by 342
“Similarly, meditators showed structural brain changes in PFC areas as well as in viscerosensory and somatosensory areas reflecting the focus on perception and interoception in meditation (Luders et al., 2009; Ott et al., 2011).”
BackgroundKrygier, J. R., Heathers, J. A. J., Shahrestani, S., Abbott, M., Gross, J. J., & Kemp, A. H. (2013) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.06.017 · Cited by 327
“Moreover, long-term meditators had greater grey matter density in regions previously found to be involved in meditation including right anterior insula (involved in interoceptive awareness), left inferior temporal gyrus and right hippocampus and right orbito-frontal cortex (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundMoore, A., Gruber, T., Derose, J., & Malinowski, P. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00018 · Cited by 351
Lavretsky, H., Epel, E. S., Siddarth, P., Nazarian, N., Cyr, N. S., Khalsa, D. S., Lin, J., Blackburn, E., & Irwin, M. R. (2013) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.3790 · Cited by 298
“…literature of structural and functional neuroimaging identifying regional changes with meditation (Lazar et al., 2000; Lazar et al., 2005; Luders et al., 2009; Lutz et al., 2009; Slagter et al., 2009; Davidson, 2011; Holzel et al., 2011a; Holzel et al., 2011b; Kerr et al., 2011; Luders…”
BackgroundCahn, B. R., Goodman, M. S., Peterson, C. T., Maturi, R., & Mills, P. J. (2017) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315 · Cited by 292
“…practice component of the retreat, such meditationrelated BDNF signaling may be a partial explanation for the repeated findings of increased hippocampal volumes due to meditative practice in both short and long term studies (Hölzel et al., 2008, 2011; Luders et al., 2009; Gotink et al., 2016).”
BackgroundResultGarland, E. L., Froeliger, B., & Howard, M. O. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00173 · Cited by 268
Mindfulness in sustainability science, practice, and teaching
Christine Wamsler, B., Brossmann, J., Hendersson, H., Kristjansdottir, R., McDonald, C., & Scarampi, P. (2017) · Sustainability Science · doi:10.1007/s11625-017-0428-2 · Cited by 313
Mindfulness meditation practice and executive functioning: Breaking down the benefit
Gallant, S. N. (2016) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.01.005 · Cited by 257
“In addition to these relatively consistent findings, changes to regions such as the hippocampus (Luders et al., 2009) and insula (Allen et al., 2012) have been observed.”
BackgroundBasso, J. C., McHale, A., Ende, V., Oberlin, D. J., & Suzuki, W. A. (2019) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023 · Cited by 255
Waters, L. E., Barsky, A. P., Ridd, A., & Allen, K. (2014) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-014-9258-2 · Cited by 298
“In another study linking meditation to structural changes in the hippocampus, Luders et al. (2009) observed significantly larger right hippocampal volume in 22 long-term meditators (minimum 5 years practice across a range of meditation styles) compared to 22 controls through the analysis of…”
BackgroundMoving toward a neuroplasticity view of bilingualism, executive control, and aging
Baum, S. R., & Titone, D. A. (2014) · Applied Psycholinguistics · doi:10.1017/s0142716414000174 · Cited by 250
The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging
Kang, D.-H., Jo, H. J., Jung, W. H., Kim, S. H., Jung, Y.-H., Choi, C.-H., Lee, U. S., An, S. C., Jang, J. H., & Kwon, J. S. (2013) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nss056 · Cited by 224
Neuronal effects following working memory training.
Buschkuehl, M., Jaeggi, S. M., & Jonides, J. (2012) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2011.10.001 · Cited by 212
The Unique Brain Anatomy of Meditation Practitioners: Alterations in Cortical Gyrification
Eileen Luders, A., Kurth, F., Mayer, E. A., Toga, A. W., Narr, K. L., & Gaser, C. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00034 · Cited by 232
“, 2009), the left central sulcus and its vicinity (Luders et al., 2009; Grant et al., 2010), as well as the right parietal operculum, which houses the secondary somato-sensory cortex (Grant et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationEnhanced brain connectivity in long-term meditation practitioners
Luders, E., Clark, K., Narr, K. L., & Toga, A. W. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.05.075 · Cited by 209
“Results showed pronounced structural connectivity in meditators compared to controls throughout the entire brain within major projection pathways, commissural pathways, and association pathways.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationWitkiewitz, K., Lustyk, M. K. B., & Bowen, S. (2013) · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1037/a0029258 · Cited by 207
“The authors concluded that greater volume in the right OFC might “allow disengagement from automatic thoughts and habits, and therefore permit consideration of options that would be more congruent with needs and values” (p. 676; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialNeural mechanisms of mindfulness and meditation: Evidence from neuroimaging studies
Marchand, W. R. (2014) · World Journal of Radiology · doi:10.4329/wjr.v6.i7.471 · Cited by 207
The meditative mind: a comprehensive meta-analysis of MRI studies.
Boccia, M., Piccardi, L., & Guariglia, P. (2015) · BioMed Research International · doi:10.1155/2015/419808 · Cited by 187
“, 2009 [6, 52] 44 Meditators versus controls 24.”
Crocker, L. D., Heller, W., Warren, S. L., O'Hare, A. J., Infantolino, Z. P., & Miller, G. A. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00261 · Cited by 193
Eileen Luders, A., Cherbuin, N., & Christian Gaser, B. (2016) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.04.007 · Cited by 183
“Note that this was a re-analysis of data overlapping, fully or in part, with those used in prior studies (Luders et al., 2009, 2011, 2012a,b, 2013a,b, 2014, 2015; Kurth et al., 2015a,b).”
Non-pharmacological cognitive enhancement
Dresler, M., Sandberg, A., Ohla, K., Bublitz, C., Trenado, C., Mroczko-Wąsowicz, A., Kühn, S., & Repantis, D. (2012) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.07.002 · Cited by 191
Perceived threat predicts the neural sequelae of combat stress
van Wingen, G. A., Geuze, E., Vermetten, E., & Fernández, G. (2011) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2010.132 · Cited by 173
From alpha to gamma: Electrophysiological correlates of meditation-related states of consciousness
Fell, J., Axmacher, N., & Haupt, S. (2010) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2010.02.025 · Cited by 200
“Indeed, it has been shown by magnetic resonance imaging that long-term meditation practice is associated with an increase of cortical thickness [68] and of gray matter volumes of different brain structures [69,70].”
BackgroundKremmyda, O., Hüfner, K., Flanagin, V. L., Hamilton, D. A., Linn, J., Strupp, M. L., Jahn, K., & Brandt, T. (2016) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00139 · Cited by 196
“The confounding effects of individual differences in brain orientation, alignment, and different brain sizes were accounted for by applying modulation for non-linear warping only (Luders et al., 2009).”
MethodMindfulness based intervention in Parkinson's disease leads to structural brain changes on MRI
Pickut, B. A., Van Hecke, W., Kerckhofs, E., Mariën, P., Vanneste, S., Cras, P., & Parizel, P. M. (2013) · Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery · doi:10.1016/j.clineuro.2013.10.002 · Cited by 174
Experts bodies, experts minds: How physical and mental training shape the brain
Debarnot, U., Sperduti, M., Rienzo, F. D., & Guillot, A. (2014) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00280 · Cited by 187
“Hippocampal alteration in expert meditators has also been reported in several recent studies (Luders et al., 2009, 2013).”
ResultThe Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Alters the Brain and Facilitates Emotion Regulation
Wheeler, M. S., Arnkoff, D. B., & Glass, C. R. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0742-x · Cited by 168
Pezzulo, G., & Levin, M. G. (2015) · Integrative Biology · doi:10.1039/c5ib00221d · Cited by 170
Interoception Drives Increased Rational Decision-Making in Meditators Playing the Ultimatum Game
Kirk, U., Downar, J. H., & Montague, P. R. (2011) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2011.00049 · Cited by 178
“Voxel-based morphometry studies demonstrate higher gray matter volumes in the anterior insula of meditators versus agematched controls, suggesting long-term effects of meditation (Lazar et al., 2005; Holzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundCan Taichi Reshape the Brain? A Brain Morphometry Study
Wei, G.-X., Xu, T., Fan, F.-M., Dong, H.-M., Jiang, L.-L., Li, H.-J., Yang, Z., Luo, J., & Zuo, X.-N. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061038 · Cited by 152
“As a matter of fact, quite a few studies have failed to detect a significant correlation between practice duration (months or years) and brain structures [59,75].”
BackgroundWamsler, C., & Brink, E. (2018) · Ecological Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.04.029 · Cited by 155
Tomasino, B., Fregona, S., Skrap, M., & Fabbro, F. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00346 · Cited by 145
Lehmann, D., Faber, P. L., Tei, S., Pascual-Marqui, R. D., Milz, P., & Kochi, K. (2012) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.042 · Cited by 150
“Many physiological and psychological aspects of meditation practice have been reported applying very different measurement and analysis approaches (e.g. Luders et al., 2009; Lutz et al., 2009; van den Hurk et al., 2010; for an earlier review of the extended literature see Cahn and Polich, 2006).”
MethodMolecular analysis of Hsp70 mechanisms in plants and their function in response to stress
Magaji, U., Rafii, M. Y., Martini, M. Y., Oladosu, Y. A., Ismail, M. R., & Miah, G. (2017) · Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews · doi:10.1080/02648725.2017.1340546 · Cited by 150
Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity
Villemure, C., ÄŒeko, M., Cotton, V. A., & Bushnell, M. C. (2015) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00281 · Cited by 159
“Several hatha yoga styles are practiced in western societies and most of them encompass physical postures (termed asana in Sanskrit), breath control exercises (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) including the chanting of Sanskrit mantras.”
BackgroundResultThe neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms
Brandmeyer, T., Arnaud Delorme, A., & Wahbeh, H. (2019) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.020 · Cited by 164
Tao, J., Liu, J., Egorova, N., Chen, X., Sun, S., Xue, X., Huang, J., Zheng, G., Wang, Q., Chen, L., et al. (2016) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00025 · Cited by 149
“Both animal and human studies suggest that the hippocampus is a critical brain region in memory function (Aggleton, 2014; MacDonald, 2014; Wixted et al., 2014).”
BackgroundEffect of meditation on cognitive functions in context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
Marciniak, R., Sheardova, K., Čermáková, P., Hudeček, D., Šumec, R., & Hort, J. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00017 · Cited by 142
“Luders 2009 (75) Various 22 53±11,5 24±12 years Orbito-frontal cortex, right talamus, left inferior temporal gyrus Regulation of emotions and sensory functions”
BackgroundLeung, M.-K., Chan, C. C. H., Yin, J., Lee, C.-F., So, K.-F., & Lee, T. M. C. (2013) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nss076 · Cited by 144
“Caution must be taken, however, in interpreting this structural difference since it appeared as a trend-level result in both the current and previous studies (Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSex Dimorphism of the Brain in Male-to-Female Transsexuals
Savic, I., & Arver, S. (2011) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr032 · Cited by 142
Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness
Britton, W. B., Lindahl, J. R., Cahn, B. R., Davis, J. H., & Goldman, R. E. (2014) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.12279 · Cited by 134
Physiological effects of yogic practices and transcendental meditation in health and disease
Ali, S. S., Pa, B., & Varne, S. R. R. (2012) · North American Journal of Medical Sciences · doi:10.4103/1947-2714.101980 · Cited by 139
“[16] In a comparative study, the effects of sahaja yoga meditation on Electroencephalogram (EEG) in patients of major depression and healthy subjects found an increase in alpha activity in both the groups after 2 months practice of Sahaja yoga meditation.”
Britton, W. B., Bootzin, R. R., Cousins, J. C., Hasler, B. P., Peck, T., & Shapiro, S. L. (2010) · Substance Abuse · doi:10.1080/08897071003641297 · Cited by 133
Domain-specific enhancement of metacognitive ability following meditation training.
Baird, B., Mrazek, M. D., Phillips, D. T., & Schooler, J. W. (2014) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/a0036882 · Cited by 144
“Furthermore, volume in the hippocampus , IPL, and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) has been found to increase following an 8-week meditation course (Hölzel et al., 2011), and experienced meditators have larger hippocampal volume (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundHüfner, K., Binetti, C., Hamilton, D. A., Stephan, T., Flanagin, V. L., Linn, J., Labudda, K., Markowitsch, H. J., Glasauer, S., Jahn, K., et al. (2010) · Hippocampus · doi:10.1002/hipo.20801 · Cited by 137
“The confounding effects of individual differences in brain orientation, alignment, and different brain sizes were accounted for by applying modulation for nonlinear warping only (Luders et al., 2009).”
MethodYu, X., Fumoto, M., Nakatani, Y., Sekiyama, T., Kikuchi, H., Seki, Y., Sato-Suzuki, I., & Arita, H. (2011) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.02.004 · Cited by 127
“Unlike functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), NIRS cannot be used to investigate the involvement of deep brain structures (Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundFroeliger, B., Garland, E. L., & McClernon, F. J. (2012) · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2012/821307 · Cited by 144
Dispositional Mindfulness Co-Varies with Smaller Amygdala and Caudate Volumes in Community Adults
Taren, A. A., Creswell, J. D., & Gianaros, P. J. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064574 · Cited by 152
“Changes in grey matter density and cortical thickness have been reported in additional brain regions among regular mindfulness practitioners [12,41,42,43,44,45,46].”
BackgroundThe embodied mind: A review on functional genomic and neurological correlates of mind-body therapies
Muehsam, D. J., Lutgendorf, S. K., Mills, P. J., Rickhi, B., Chevalier, G., Bat, N., Chopra, D., & Gurfein, B. T. (2016) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.027 · Cited by 133
Hernández, S. E., Suero, J., Barros, A., González-Mora, J. L., & Rubia, K. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150757 · Cited by 120
Froeliger, B., Garland, E. L., Kozink, R. V., Modlin, L. A., Chen, N.-K., McClernon, F. J., Greeson, J. M., & Sobin, P. (2012) · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2012/680407 · Cited by 116
“Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2012, Article ID 680407, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2012/680407”
BackgroundInfluentialGlobal and regional alterations of hippocampal anatomy in long‐term meditation practitioners
Eileen Luders, A., Thompson, P. M., Kurth, F., Hong, J., Phillips, O. R., Wang, Y., Gutman, B. A., Chou, Y., Narr, K. L., & Toga, A. W. (2012) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.22153 · Cited by 116
“In a region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of a different sample, meditators had larger right hippocampal volumes than controls [Luders et al., 2009b].”
InfluentialSelf-citationThomas, J. T., & Otis, M. D. (2010) · Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research · doi:10.5243/jsswr.2010.7 · Cited by 115
Wei, G., Dong, H.-M., Yang, Z., Luo, J., & Zuo, X. (2014) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2014.00074 · Cited by 112
“Such mind-body integration exercise has been proven to reshape the patterns of brain structures and functional connectivity (Cahn and Polich, 2006; Luders et al., 2009, 2011, 2012).”
Rosenkranz, M. A., Antoine Lutz, A., Perlman, D., Bachhuber, D. R. W., Schuyler, B. S., MacCoon, D. G., & Davidson, R. J. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.02.013 · Cited by 120
van Vugt, M. K., Hitchcock, P., Shahar, B., & Britton, W. B. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00257 · Cited by 114
“…et al., 2007, 2010; Hölzel et al., 2007), larger volumes of frontal gray matter (Lazar et al., 2005; Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009) and hippocampus (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009), and greater PFC inhibition of the amygdala (Brefczynski-Lewis et…”
BackgroundSingleton, O., Hölzel, B. K., Vangel, M., Brach, N., Carmody, J., & Lazar, S. W. (2014) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00033 · Cited by 110
“…who have regularly practiced meditation for several years exhibit a different gray matter morphometry in multiple brain regions when compared to demographically matched controls (Lazar et al., 2005; Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009; VestergaardPoulsen et al., 2009).”
BackgroundSex differences in brain anatomy
Eileen Luders, A., & Toga, A. W. (2010) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-53630-3.00001-4 · Cited by 114
Self-citationCerebral blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators
Newberg, A. B., Wintering, N., Waldman, M. R., Amen, D., Khalsa, D. S., & Alavi, A. A. (2010) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.05.003 · Cited by 110
“, 2001) and because existing studies have found differences in these structures between meditators and non-meditators (Lazar et al., 2005; Luders et al., 2009); (2) we expected to see relatively lower baseline parietal lobe activity in long-term meditators since meditation is also associated with alterations in the su…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMeditation for Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Randomized Trial
Wells, R. E., Kerr, C. E., Wolkin, J., Dossett, M., Davis, R. B., Walsh, J., Wall, R. B., Kong, J., Kaptchuk, T., Press, D., et al. (2013) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/jgs.12179 · Cited by 106
“Studies also demonstrate that meditation selectively activates the hippocampus,(5) and experienced meditators have been found to have larger hippocampal volumes and gray matter than controls.(6) Within this context, the objectives of the current study were to test the safety and feasibility of MBSR in adults with MCI…”
BackgroundEffect of environment on the long-term consequences of chronic pain
Bushnell, M. C., Case, L. K., Čeko, M., Cotton, V. A., Gracely, J. L., Low, L. A., Pitcher, M. H., & Villemure, C. (2015) · Pain · doi:10.1097/01.j.pain.0000460347.77341.bd · Cited by 112
“cingulate cortices, superior and inferior parietal cortices, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices.(38,49,62,63,80,88,155) These brain regions are involved in pain”
BackgroundMeditation: Process and effects
Sharma, H. (2015) · Ayu · doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756 · Cited by 86
“[12] With aging, the brain cortical thickness (gray matter, which contains neurons) decreases, whereas meditation experience is associated with an increase in gray matter in the brain.[11,26,51,52]”
BackgroundMindfulness training and the cultivation of secure, satisfying couple relationships.
Atkinson, B. J. (2013) · Couple and Family Psychology Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/cfp0000002 · Cited by 117
“Both of these brain areas have shown structural changes (increased gray matter) after mindfulness meditation training (Hölzel et al., 2008, 2011a; Luders et al., 2009).”
Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: effects of meditation and pranayama.
Melnychuk, M. C., Dockree, P. M., O'Connell, R. G., Murphy, P. R., Balsters, J. H., & Robertson, I. H. (2018) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.13091 · Cited by 101
“Research on the morphology and activity of the insula in meditators shows overall increased volume and activity (Holzel et al., 2007; Lazar et al., 2005; Manna et al., 2010; but see Luders et al., 2009), and increased gyrification (Luders et al., 2012).”
BackgroundThe Reward-Based Eating Drive Scale: A Self-Report Index of Reward-Based Eating
Epel, E. S., Tomiyama, A. J., Mason, A. E., Laraia, B. A., Hartman, W. M., Ready, K., Acree, M. C., Adam, T. C., Jeor, S. S., & Kessler, D. A. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101350 · Cited by 111
Case Study of Ecstatic Meditation: fMRI and EEG Evidence of Self‐Stimulating a Reward System
Hagerty, M. R., Isaacs, J., Brasington, L., Shupe, L., Fetz, E. E., & Cramer, S. C. (2013) · Neural Plasticity · doi:10.1155/2013/653572 · Cited by 108
“Previous studies have shown that long-term meditators have higher volume of grey matter compared to matched controls [12, 13], and randomized experiments show that subjects benefit from as little as 4 weeks of training in the areas of attention regulation [14, 15] and emotion regulation [11, 16–18].”
Short-term meditation increases network efficiency of the anterior cingulate cortex
Xue, S., Tang, Y., & Posner, M. I. (2011) · Neuroreport · doi:10.1097/wnr.0b013e328348c750 · Cited by 105
Eileen Luders, A., Phillips, O. R., Clark, K. A., Kurth, F., Toga, A. W., & Narr, K. L. (2012) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.02.026 · Cited by 94
“Interestingly, however, our callosal findings in (supplemental) motor regions seem to correspond well with previous observations of enhanced gray matter in meditators bilaterally within central and paracentral areas (Lazar et al., 2005; Luders et al., 2009) and of enhanced fiber connectivity in long-term meditators bi…”
InfluentialSelf-citationInteraction between Neuroanatomical and Psychological Changes after Mindfulness-Based Training
Santarnecchi, E., D’Arista, S., Egiziano, E., Gardi, C., Petrosino, R., Vatti, G., Reda, M. A., & Rossi, A. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108359 · Cited by 110
“found changes in right orbito-frontal cortex, right thalamus, left inferior temporal lobe and right hippocampus in Zen, Vipassana or Samatha practitioners [14]; Grant et al.”
BackgroundThe default mode network as a biomarker for monitoring the therapeutic effects of meditation
Simon, R., & Engström, M. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00776 · Cited by 95
“A reduction in self-referential evaluation trains the individual to abandon emotionally charged assessments of their internal and external world, thus altering patterns of self-judgment and value assignment (Farb et al., 2007, 2010).”
BackgroundLee, B., Park, J. Y., Jung, W. H., Kim, H. S., Oh, J. S., Choi, C., Jang, J. H., Kang, D., & Kwon, J. S. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.04.014 · Cited by 105
“, 2009), and several studies have reported associations between meditation training and neuroplasticity, indicating that meditation can improve attention and self-regulation (Lazar et al., 2005; Luders et al., 2009; Tang et al., 2007).”
BackgroundLarouche, E., Hudon, C., & Goulet, S. (2015) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.05.058 · Cited by 93
Plasticity changes in the brain in hypnosis and meditation
Halsband, U., Mueller, S., Hinterberger, T., & Strickner, S. (2009) · Contemporary Hypnosis · doi:10.1002/ch.386 · Cited by 101
Mindfulness disposition and default-mode network connectivity in older adults
Shaurya Prakash, R., De Leon, A. A., Klatt, M., Malarkey, W., & Patterson, B. (2013) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nss115 · Cited by 85
“, 2010), show greater gray matter volumes in the prefrontal and temporal cortices (Holzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009), and greater cortical thickness in the frontal cortices and the anterior insula (Lazar et al.”
BackgroundEileen Luders, A., Kurth, F., Toga, A. W., Narr, K. L., & Gaser, C. (2013) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00398 · Cited by 88
“…to the attributes of gray matter (GM), however, are amongst the most widely reproduced (Lazar et al., 2005; Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Holzel et al., 2008, 2010; Luders et al., 2009b; Vestergaard-Poulsen et al., 2009; Grant et al., 2010; Murakami et al., 2012; Kang et al., 2013; Leung et al., 2013).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationShort-term meditation induces changes in brain resting EEG theta networks
Xue, S., Tang, Y., Tang, R., & Posner, M. I. (2014) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2014.02.008 · Cited by 89
Kong, F., Wang, X., Song, Y., & Liu, J. (2015) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2015.1092469 · Cited by 92
“…or altered activities of the insula (Hölzel et al., 2008; Lazar et al., 2005; Lutz et al., 2013; Murakami et al., 2012; Zeidan et al., 2011), OFC (Luders et al., 2009; Zeidan et al., 2011), PHG (Lazar et al., 2000; Leung et al., 2013; Murakami et al., 2012), and IFG (Ding et al., 2015;…”
BackgroundAugmentation-related brain plasticity
Pino, G. D., Maravita, A., Zollo, L., Guglielmelli, E., & Lazzaro, V. D. (2014) · Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnsys.2014.00109 · Cited by 83
“Several studies demonstrated that meditation is able to induce structural changes especially in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and the right anterior insula (Lazar et al., 2005; Pagnoni and Cekic, 2007; Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundRivest-Gadbois, E., & Boudrias, M. (2019) · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.021 · Cited by 91
Neural correlates of meditation a review of structural and functional MRI studies
Afonso, R. F. (2020) · Frontiers in Bioscience-Scholar · doi:10.2741/s542 · Cited by 87
Monti, D. A., Kash, K. M., Kunkel, E. J. S., Brainard, G., Wintering, N., Moss, A. S., Rao, H., Zhu, S., & Newberg, A. B. (2012) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2470 · Cited by 80
“Studies utilizing positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography and fMRI have all demonstrated specific changes in cortical and limbic structures when subjects were actively meditating (Brefczynski-Lewis et al., 2007; Davidson et al., 2003; Luders et al., 2009; Newberg et al., 2001).”
MethodFrom State-to-Trait Meditation: Reconfiguration of Central Executive and Default Mode Networks
Bauer, C. C. C., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Díaz, J. L., Pasaye, E. H., & Barrios, F. A. (2019) · eneuro · doi:10.1523/eneuro.0335-18.2019 · Cited by 81
“, 2015), as well as gray and white matter differences in experienced meditators (EMs; Luders et al., 2009; Hölzel et al., 2011a; Fox et al., 2014).”
BackgroundGrant, J. A., Duerden, E. G., Courtemanche, J., Cherkasova, M. V., Duncan, G. H., & Rainville, P. (2012) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.09.007 · Cited by 86
Metadata
- Authors
- Luders, E., Toga, A. W., Lepore, N., & Gaser, C.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Toga, Arthur W.
- ORCID
- Toga, Arthur W.
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-04
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 672-678
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3184843
- OpenAlex
- W2168283580
- Cited by
- 469
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 41 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 37
- FWCI
- 30.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01EV0709)
- National Institutes of Health (U54 RR021813, P41 RR013642, M01 RR000865)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- gray matter volume, hippocampus, thalamus, inferior temporal gyrus, brain structure, emotion regulation, response control, mindfulness, meditation practice
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Meditation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
