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Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources
Open accessAbstract
The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is evidenced by the so-called "attentional-blink" deficit: When two targets (T1 and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional resources. Here we show, using performance in an attentional-blink task and scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training, affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attentional blink and reduced brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation. Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.
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“Mindfulness meditation has been independently found to improve all three of these psychological barriers.”
From Effects of Mindfulness Training on Body Awareness to Sexual Stimuli: Implications for Female Sexual Dysfunction (2011) · cites this paper as [18]
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From Mindful emotion regulation: Exploring the neurocognitive mechanisms behind mindfulness (2015) · cites this paper as [26]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Slagter, H. A., Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Francis, A. D., Nieuwenhuis, S., Davis, J. M., & Davidson, R. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Leiden University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Davidson, Richard J
- Venue
- PLoS Biology
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2007-05-08
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- e138
- ISSN
- 1544-9173 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-7885
- PMC
- PMC1865565
- OpenAlex
- W1987937684
- Cited by
- 757
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 53 · 2015: 57 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 44 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 40.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PLoS Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Mind and Life Institute
- National Institutes of Health (5u01at002114-03)
- National Institute of Mental Health (P50-MH069315-03, P50MH069315, MH069315)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K23DA022471)
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (U01AT002114-01A1)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (U01-AT002114, U01AT002114-01A1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- attentional blink, mental training, meditation, P3b, event-related potentials, attentional competition, cognitive plasticity, information processing capacity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Case-Control Studies, Meditation, Attentional Blink
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