Authors
Kieran CR Fox, Matthew L Dixon, Savannah Nijeboer, Manesh Girn, James L Floman, Michael Lifshitz, Melissa Ellamil, Peter Sedlmeier, Kalina Christoff
Publication date
2016/6/1
Source
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Volume
65
Pages
208-228
Publisher
Pergamon
Description
Meditation is a family of mental practices that encompasses a wide array of techniques employing distinctive mental strategies. We systematically reviewed 78 functional neuroimaging (fMRI and PET) studies of meditation, and used activation likelihood estimation to meta-analyze 257 peak foci from 31 experiments involving 527 participants. We found reliably dissociable patterns of brain activation and deactivation for four common styles of meditation (focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness), and suggestive differences for three others (visualization, sense-withdrawal, and non-dual awareness practices). Overall, dissociable activation patterns are congruent with the psychological and behavioral aims of each practice. Some brain areas are recruited consistently across multiple techniques—including insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate …
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