Authors
Kieran CR Fox, Savannah Nijeboer, Matthew L Dixon, James L Floman, Melissa Ellamil, Samuel P Rumak, Peter Sedlmeier, Kalina Christoff
Publication date
2014/6/1
Source
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Volume
43
Pages
48-73
Publisher
Pergamon
Description
Numerous studies have begun to address how the brain's gray and white matter may be shaped by meditation. This research is yet to be integrated, however, and two fundamental questions remain: Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? If so, what is the magnitude of these differences? To address these questions, we reviewed and meta-analyzed 123 brain morphology differences from 21 neuroimaging studies examining∼ 300 meditation practitioners. Anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis found eight brain regions consistently altered in meditators, including areas key to meta-awareness (frontopolar cortex/BA 10), exteroceptive and interoceptive body awareness (sensory cortices and insula), memory consolidation and reconsolidation (hippocampus), self and emotion regulation (anterior and mid cingulate; orbitofrontal cortex), and intra-and interhemispheric communication (superior …
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