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Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness
Abstract
This is the first in vivo demonstration of an association between endogenous neurotransmitter release and conscious experience. Using 11C-raclopride PET we demonstrated increased endogenous dopamine release in the ventral striatum during Yoga Nidra meditation. Yoga Nidra is characterized by a depressed level of desire for action, associated with decreased blood flow in prefrontal, cerebellar and subcortical regions, structures thought to be organized in open loops subserving executive control. In the striatum, dopamine modulates excitatory glutamatergic synapses of the projections from the frontal cortex to striatal neurons, which in turn project back to the frontal cortex via the pallidum and ventral thalamus. The present study was designed to investigate whether endogenous dopamine release increases during loss of executive control in meditation. Participants underwent two 11C-raclopride PET scans: one while attending to speech with eyes closed, and one during active meditation. The tracer competes with endogenous dopamine for access to dopamine D2 receptors predominantly found in the basal ganglia. During meditation, 11C-raclopride binding in ventral striatum decreased by 7.9%. This corresponds to a 65% increase in endogenous dopamine release. The reduced raclopride binding correlated significantly with a concomitant increase in EEG theta activity, a characteristic feature of meditation. All participants reported a decreased desire for action during meditation, along with heightened sensory imagery. The level of gratification and the depth of relaxation did not differ between the attention and meditation conditions. Here we show increased striatal dopamine release during meditation associated with the experience of reduced readiness for action. It is suggested that being in the conscious state of meditation causes a suppression of cortico-striatal glutamatergic transmission. To our knowledge this is the first time in vivo evidence has been provided for regulation of conscious states at a synaptic level.
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Meditation training is associated with increased dopaminergic tone.
“and increased dopaminergic tone”
From Mindfulness Training Alters Emotional Memory Recall Compared to Active Controls: Support for an Emotional Information Processing Model of Mindfulness (2012) · cites this paper as Kjaer et al., 2002
Altered ReHo in the putamen has been repeatedly reported in meditation studies.
“This structure has been repeatedly reported in meditation studies [14, 77–80] but, distinct from the other main regions frequently reported, was not revealed by our connectivity analyses.”
From State and training effects of mindfulness meditation on brain networks reflect neuronal mechanisms of its antidepressant effect (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
Increases in wake-related or sleep-inhibiting neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin have been found in studies of non-Buddhist meditation, though the relationship between peripheral and brain levels is unclear.
“Increases in wake-related/sleep-inhibiting neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine,16,26,47,112, 113 dopamine,114 and serotonin,77,115–118 have been found in studies of non-Buddhist forms of meditation, although the relationship between peripheral and brain levels is unclear.”
From Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness (2014) · cites this paper as [114]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Kjaer, T. W., Bertelsen, C., Piccini, P., Brooks, D., Alving, J., & Lou, H. C.
- Affiliations
- Kennedy Center (DK)
- Hammersmith Hospital (GB)
- Venue
- Cognitive Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2002-04
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 255-259
- ISSN
- 0926-6410 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2000511749
- Cited by
- 455
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 8.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognitive Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Keywords
- Yoga Nidra, meditation, endogenous dopamine release, ventral striatum, [11C]raclopride PET, D2 receptor binding, subjective experience, executive function, EEG theta activity, sensory imagery
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Consciousness, Dopamine, Electroencephalography, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Dopamine Antagonists, Meditation, Radiopharmaceuticals, Raclopride
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