Enhanced brain connectivity in long-term meditation practitioners
Open accessAbstract
Very little is currently known about the cerebral characteristics that underlie the complex processes of meditation as only a limited number of studies have addressed this topic. Research exploring structural connectivity in meditation practitioners is particularly rare. We thus acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data of high angular and spatial resolution and used atlas-based tract mapping methods to investigate white matter fiber characteristics in a well-matched sample of long-term meditators and controls (n=54). A broad field mapping approach estimated the fractional anisotropy (FA) for twenty different fiber tracts (i.e., nine tracts in each hemisphere and two inter-hemispheric tracts) that were subsequently used as dependent measures. Results showed pronounced structural connectivity in meditators compared to controls throughout the entire brain within major projection pathways, commissural pathways, and association pathways. The largest group differences were observed within the corticospinal tract, the temporal component of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, and the uncinate fasciculus. While cross-sectional studies represent a good starting point for elucidating possible links between meditation and white matter fiber characteristics, longitudinal studies will be necessary to determine the relative contribution of nature and nurture to enhanced structural connectivity in long-term meditators.
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Experienced mindfulness meditators showed increased FA compared to meditation-naïve controls.
“Furthermore, in the longer term, experienced mindfulness meditators showed increased FA compared to meditation-naïve controls (Kang et al., 2013; Luders et al., 2011; Laneri et al., 2015).”
From Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and white matter plasticity in individuals with subclinical depression and psychotic experiences: A Randomised Controlled Trial (2023) · cites this paper as Luders et al., 2011
The Results (FA Differences between Long-term Meditators and Controls; page not specified) report significantly larger FA in several tracts in meditators than in controls. The Subjects section describes several meditation styles and age- and sex-matched controls, but does not establish that all practitioners practiced mindfulness or that the controls were meditation-naïve. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLong-term meditation practice can trigger meditation-specific neuroplastic changes in brain regions underlying cognitive control and affective regulation.
“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 [58]
The Results report greater white-matter connectivity in long-term meditators, and the Discussion (Correspondence with Previous Findings) links one affected tract to regions implicated in emotional regulation. The Discussion (Nature versus Nurture) says these differences may be effects of meditation, but its cross-sectional design cannot rule out pre-existing differences. It therefore does not establish that the observed changes were triggered specifically by long-term meditation practice. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA substantial body of research has evidenced that mindfulness and compassion meditation can have a positive impact on attention and affective regulation and can induce long-lasting morphological changes in the prefrontal cortices and amygdala.
“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 [58]
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- Authors
- Luders, E., Clark, K., Narr, K. L., & Toga, A. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1308-1316
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3176828
- OpenAlex
- W2023032892
- Cited by
- 209
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 12.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Brain Mapping Medical Research Organization
- Robson Family
- Northstar Fund
- Brain Mapping Support
- Pierson-Lovelace
- Ahmanson
- Tamkin
- William M. & Linda R. Dietel Philanthropic Fund at the Northern Piedmont Community
- Jennifer Jones-Simon
- Capital Group Companies
- National Institutes of Health (U54 RR021813, P41 RR013642, M01 RR000865)
- National Center for Research Resources (RR12169, RR13642, RR00865)
- Human Brain Project (P20-MHDA52176, 5P01-EB001955)
- Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering
- Mental Health
- Drug Abuse
- Cancer
- Neurologic Disease & Stroke
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Keywords
- meditation, long-term meditators, structural brain connectivity, white matter, fractional anisotropy, corticospinal tract, superior longitudinal fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, commissural pathways, diffusion tensor imaging, tractography
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Anisotropy, Meditation
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