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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.
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“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
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“Similarly, gray matter changes were also found to correlate with professional experience in musicians ( Gaser and Schlaug, 2003; Azizi, 2009; Han et al., 2009), mathematicians (Aydin et al., 2007) and meditators (Luders et al., 2009), and with second-language profi ciency (Mechelli et al., 2004).”
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“Moreover, studies analyzing brain scans of meditators who practice both FA and OM meditation found thicker brain regions in Brodmann areas 9/10 of the prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula, somatosensory cortex, and auditory cortex; areas associated with attention, interoception, and sensory processing;(34) and the…”
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“It has been reported that mindfulness meditation increased the volume of hippocampus (Holzel et al., 2011) and the grey matter concentration in orbital frontal cortex (Luders et al., 2009).”
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“…(ii) improved self-regulatory efficacy (i.e., an individual’s ability to regulate and remain in control of their choices, feelings, and behaviours; Luders et al., 2009; Tang et al., 2012), and (iii) greater interoceptive awareness (i.e., increased sensitivity to sensations that originate in the…”
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Impartiality in humans is predicted by brain structure of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex
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Eileen Luders, A., Thompson, P. M., & Kurth, F. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00186 · Cited by 44
Can biomarkers of biological age be used to assess cumulative lifetime experience?
Melissa Bateson, B., & Poirier, C. (2019) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.7120/09627286.28.1.041 · Cited by 44
Hippocampal volume predicts fluid intelligence in musically trained people
Oechslin, M. S., Descloux, C., Croquelois, A., Chanal, J. P., Ville, D. V. D., Lazeyras, F., & James, C. E. (2013) · Hippocampus · doi:10.1002/hipo.22120 · Cited by 38
“…has been observed (review by Fotuhi et al., 2012): cognitive stimulation (Maguire et al., 2000; Draganski et al., 2006; Fortin et al., 2008), physical exercises (Erickson et al., 2010; Pajonk et al., 2010) and meditation (Luders et al., 2009; Holzel et al., 2011) yield increased HP neurogenesis.”
BackgroundDong, M., Qin, W., Zhao, L., Yang, X., Yuan, K., Zeng, F., Sun, J., Yu, D., von Deneen, K. M., Liang, F., et al. (2013) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.22235 · Cited by 36
“Recent evidence suggested that VMPFC/OFC is an important site showing plasticity in emotional regulation (Luders et al., 2009) and these representational changes may facilitate skill maintenance (DeFelipe, 2006).”
BackgroundBrain Structure and Meditation: How Spiritual Practice Shapes the Brain
Ott, U., Hölzel, B. K., & Vaitl, D. (2011) · Studies in neuroscience, consciousness and spirituality · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-2079-4_9 · Cited by 36
“, 2009), right hippocampus and left inferior temporal gyrus (Hölzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009), orbito-frontal cortex (OFC; Luders et al.”
BackgroundMorley, R. H. (2017) · Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11896-017-9239-8 · Cited by 39
Hippocampal volume, function, and related molecular activity in anorexia nervosa: A scoping review
Keeler, J. L., Patsalos, O., Thuret, S., Ehrlich, S., Tchanturia, K., Himmerich, H., & Treasure, J. L. (2020) · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1080/17512433.2020.1850256 · Cited by 35
What Mindfulness can learn about Dissociation and what Dissociation can learn from Mindfulness
Forner, C. (2019) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2018.1502568 · Cited by 34
“This is also the state that our infants’ little bodies and primitive brains are expecting from us (Alexander & Brown, 2011; Brach, 2006; Doidge, 2007; Farb, Segal, & Anderson, 2012; Finger et al., 2008; Hölzel, Carmody, et al., 2011; Luders et al., 2009; Milutinovic, Zhuang, Niveleau, & Szyf, 2003).”
BackgroundFriedel, S., Whittle, S. L., Vijayakumar, N., Simmons, J. G., Byrne, M. L., Schwartz, O. S., & Allen, N. B. (2015) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2015.07.001 · Cited by 36
“Given that dispositional mindfulness can be assessed as a rait within normal populations without specific training, including dolescent populations, research into the emergence of mindfuless over development provides an alternative perspective from hich to investigate the mechanisms that determine…”
BackgroundElements of yogic practice: Perceptions of students in healthcare programs
Brems, C., Colgan, D. D., Freeman, H., Freitas, J., Justice, L., Shean, M., & Sulenes, K. (2016) · International Journal of Yoga · doi:10.4103/0973-6131.183710 · Cited by 35
Non-verbal communication of compassion: measuring psychophysiologic effects
Kemper, K. J., & Shaltout, H. A. (2011) · BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-132 · Cited by 32
“One type of mental activity that generally produces these effects in the practitioner is meditation [14-25].”
BackgroundMindfulness in Motion for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Feasibility Study.
Gilbertson, R. M., & Klatt, M. D. (2017) · International Journal of MS Care · doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2015-095 · Cited by 32
Mindfulness‐based stress reduction training modulates striatal and cerebellar connectivity
Santarnecchi, E., Egiziano, E., D’Arista, S., Gardi, C., Romanella, S. M., Mencarelli, L., Rossi, S., Reda, M. A., & Rossi, A. (2021) · Journal of Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1002/jnr.24798 · Cited by 37
“…and longitudinal studies, involving either practitioners with a long personal history of meditation (Grant et al., 2010; Holzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009; VestergaardPoulsen et al., 2009) or naïve participants with no prior meditation experience, exposed to relatively short (8…”
BackgroundBehavioral interventions in multiple sclerosis: a biopsychosocial perspective
Heesen, C., Köpke, S., Kasper, J., Poettgen, J., Tallner, A., Mohr, D. C., & Gold, S. M. (2012) · Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics · doi:10.1586/ern.12.103 · Cited by 34
Premkumar, P., Fannon, D. G., Kuipers, E., PETERS, E. R., Anilkumar, A. P. P., Simmons, A., & Kumari, V. (2009) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2009.08.007 · Cited by 32
Jang, J. H., Kim, J., Yun, J., Choi, S., An, S. C., & Kang, D. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0928-x · Cited by 33
“Previous studies using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed greater cortical density or thickness in the medial PFC or orbitofrontal cortex in meditators compared with non-meditators (Luders et al. 2009; Lazar et al. 2005).”
ResultGundel, F., von Spee, J., Schneider, S., Haeussinger, F. B., Hautzinger, M., Erb, M., Fallgatter, A. J., & Ehlis, A. (2017) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.04.002 · Cited by 31
Black, D. S., Kurth, F., Eileen Luders, A., & Wu, B. W. (2014) · Neuro - Open Journal · doi:10.17140/noj-1-106 · Cited by 30
Time, Touch, and Compassion: Effects on Autonomic Nervous System and Well-Being
Shaltout, H. A., Tooze, J. A., Rosenberger, E. L., & Kemper, K. J. (2012) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2012.02.001 · Cited by 31
Methods of mindfulness: how mindfulness is studied in the workplace
Choi, E., & Leroy, H. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781107587793.006 · Cited by 38
The neuroanatomy of long-term meditators
Eileen Luders, A., & Kurth, F. (2018) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.013 · Cited by 31
Konjedi, S., & Maleeh, R. (2017) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-017-0506-z · Cited by 33
Sadhasivam, S., Alankar, S., Maturi, R. K., Williams, A. E., Vishnubhotla, R. V., Hariri, S., Mudigonda, M., Pawale, D., Dubbireddi, S., Packiasabapathy, S., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.659667 · Cited by 28
“Meditation practices may impact factors such as cognition, emotions, perception, and attention, and a new field of contemplative neuroscience aims to elucidate changes in brain structure and function related to meditation (Brown and Ryan, 2003; Holzel et al., 2007; Jha et al., 2007, 2010; Srinivasan and Baijal, 2007;…”
BackgroundHo, N. S. P., Sun, D., Ting, K. H., Chan, C. C. H., & Lee, T. M. C. (2015) · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2015/212368 · Cited by 28
“As explained by these authors, mindfulness was associated with reduction of gray matter concentration in the amygdala (the brain region for emotion processing) [26] but also proliferation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and hippocampus (brain regions for memory retrieval and cognitive control) [27, 28];…”
BackgroundWong, W. P., Hassed, C. S., Chambers, R., & Coles, J. Y. (2016) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00156 · Cited by 26
“Keywords: mindfulness, meditation, mild cognitive impairment, mild neurocognitive disorder, cognitive function, psychological health, functional abilities, activities of daily living”
BackgroundChen, F., Lv, X., Fang, J., Li, T., Xu, J., Wang, X., Yang, H., Hong, L., Wang, J., Wang, W., et al. (2021) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01637-8 · Cited by 26
“This increase in the gray matter volume in the thalamus can be attributed to the meditators’ increased sense of awareness and focus during meditation [10].”
BackgroundSleep and mindfulness meditation as they relate to false memory
Konjedi, S., & Maleeh, R. (2018) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-018-1098-0 · Cited by 24
Dwivedi, M., Dubey, N., Pansari, A. J., Bapi, R. S., Das, M., Guha, M., Banerjee, R. K., Pramanick, G., Basu, J., & Ghosh, A. (2021) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.728993 · Cited by 24
Hippocampal circuits underlie improvements in self‐reported anxiety following mindfulness training
Sevinc, G., Greenberg, J., Hölzel, B. K., Gard, T., Calahan, T., Brunsch, V., Hashmi, J. A., Vangel, M. G., Orr, S. P., Milad, M. R., et al. (2020) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1766 · Cited by 24
“In line with the proposed mechanism of action, cross-sectional studies report higher hippocampal gray matter concentrations in meditators compared to controls (Holzel et al., 2008; Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundPark, H. R. P., Quidé, Y., Schofield, P. R., Williams, L. M., & Gatt, J. M. (2022) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-01849-6 · Cited by 24
“This further ties in with previous studies that show increased insular activity [47] and increased grey matter concentration in the temporal regions [48, 49] in individuals who practice mindfulness meditation, which is an activity that is strongly linked with wellbeing [47, 50].”
ResultBiological outcome measurements for behavioral interventions in multiple sclerosis
Fischer, A., Heesen, C., & Gold, S. M. (2011) · Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders · doi:10.1177/1756285611405252 · Cited by 23
“There is also some cross-sectional [Luders et al. 2009] as well as preliminary longitudinal evidence [Holzel et al. 2008] that meditation may positively affect hippocampal volumes in healthy controls.”
(2012) · Cited by 23
Bilevicius, E., Kolesar, T., & Kornelsen, J. (2016) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci6020014 · Cited by 22
Long-Term Tai Chi Experience Promotes Emotional Stability and Slows Gray Matter Atrophy for Elders
Liu, S., Li, L., Liu, Z., & Guo, X. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00091 · Cited by 21
“Thus, gray matter atrophy in the thalamus and hippocampus regions might be the challenge for elders to retain emotional stability (Luders et al., 2009).”
BackgroundPomykala, K. L., Silverman, D. H. S., Geist, C. L., Voege, P., Siddarth, P., Nazarian, N., Cyr, N. S., Khalsa, D. S., & Lavretsky, H. (2012) · Aging Health · doi:10.2217/ahe.12.46 · Cited by 22
Gray Matter Changes in Adolescents Participating in a Meditation Training
Yuan, J. P., Connolly, C. G., Henje, E., Sugrue, L. P., Yang, T. T., Xu, D., & Tymofiyeva, O. (2020) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2020.00319 · Cited by 27
“They observed larger right thalamic GMV in long-term meditators (Luders et al., 2009), in contrast to our VBM results of GMV decreases.”
ResultHernández, S. E., Dorta‐Guerra, R., Suero, J., Barrós‐Loscertales, A., González–Mora, J. L., & Rubia, K. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237552 · Cited by 22
“cortical gyrification in long-term Meditators [73] and increased in the integrity of a fiber tract predominantly originating/terminating in motor areas (cortical-spinal tract) and been shown to have larger GM tissue in paracentral regions [74, 75].”
BackgroundAllò que el budisme va ensenyar a les ciències cognitives sobre el jo, la ment i el cervell
Federman, A. (2011) · Enrahonar An international journal of theoretical and practical reason · doi:10.5565/rev/enrahonar/v47n0.162 · Cited by 21
In the Moment: Fostering Mindfulness and Reducing Stressors in the Healthcare Workplace
Valipoor, S., & Bosch, S. J. (2021) · HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal · doi:10.1177/1937586720988243 · Cited by 23
“Studies have shown that mindfulness practice has benefits including increased gray matter density in areas associated with attention, learning and memory, emotional regulation, empathy, and compassion (Hölzel et al., 2011; Jha et al., 2007; Luders et al., 2009).”
Background
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
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