Meditation changes the brain

Recently, I came across a fascinating article on the effects of meditation on the brain. Being a keen meditator myself, I was curious immediately. Meditation helps me to feel present, calm and connected, but does it physically change my brain as well? I was keen to find out.

According to the article, written by Dr. Michael Baime, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, there has been a boom in researching the biology and neuroscience of meditation. Neuroscientists have recorded brain waves and pictures of brain activity in thousands of meditators, ranging from the inexperienced, to monks in secluded monasteries in Tibet.

Scientists have found that some of the brain regions that are activated during meditation are actually different in those that meditate regularly. These changes can be seen after as little as 8 weeks of regular meditation.

This finding supports the theory of ‘neuroplasticity,’ which claims that the brain can form new pathways of activity and development well into adulthood. Previous theory was based on a ceasing of growth and development of the brain past age 25-30 years, and an inevitable slow decline after that. Neuroplastic theory proposes better news than that!

One researcher studied a group of 20 meditators who practiced for a little less than one hour per day on average, and had been practicing for an average of 9 years. Other than that they held regular jobs, had relatively ‘normal’ urban lives, and were living in the United States. The researcher compared them to a control group of 20 non-meditators, who had never practiced yoga or meditation but were matched for age and gender. 

Her area of interest was the cerebral cortex, the outermost and most evolutionary recent part of the brain. She found that on comparison, some areas of the cortex were significantly thicker in those that meditated than those that didn’t. The cortex shrinks with age, but her results suggested that it was the same thickness in meditators than in non-meditators twenty years younger! Inspiring stuff.

Previous research has suggested that there are two other main areas of the brain that appear to be more active during meditation practice: the pre-frontal cortex and the insula. The pre-frontal cortex is thought to be important for ‘executive’ functions like planning, decision-making, judgment and socially appropriate behaviour. The insula seems to integrate sensation and emotion, process social emotions such as empathy and love, and is essential for the capacity for self awareness.

It is interesting that science is catching up on the benefits of an age-old tradition, and how fascinating to see the results in physical terms.

Do you meditate? What are the perceived benefits for you?