Meditation changes the brain some more 1260x542
26 Jul 2011

Meditation changes the brain some more

2 mins to read
My previous blog saw me all excited about the physical changes that can occur in the brain as a result of meditation. The more I look into it, the more information there is, and I couldn’t help but share some of it here.


My previous blog saw me all excited about the physical changes that can occur in the brain as a result of meditation. The more I look into it, the more information there is, and I couldn’t help but share some of it here.

I’ve already mentioned that the cerebral cortex, the pre-frontal cortex and the inula are regions of the brain altered by meditation. Well, it seems there are more!

A German neuroscientist has found additional regions hidden more deeply in the brain where there is increased density of gray matter in meditators.

Gray matter is the part of the brain with the most active brain cells, and increased density may be indicative of increased connectivity between cells. The interesting thing is that the areas that they have identified appear to be the areas that are associated with the benefits that people have been reporting from meditation for millennia.

One such brain region allows us to shift perspective, which is useful for developing empathy and dealing with emotional upheaval. Shifting perspective is an important part of meditation practice, as we move away from automatic pilot and into a more aware and observant mind-frame.

And now for my favourite finding. The amygdala is the part of the brain most associated with emotional reactivity and fear. In meditators who experience less stress, it has been found that there is less gray matter density in that particular brain region. The amazing thing was that these results were seen after only 8 weeks of meditation practice.

Another researcher from the United States suggested that meditation may have the capacity to improve short-term memory and the ability to resist distraction. Her results suggested that meditation for even as little as 12 minutes per day had the capacity to significantly improve short-term memory. The more you practice meditation, the better the results, she found.

The University of Toronto has looked at the ways that meditation affects the experience of the self. Apparently, there are two distinct neural networks (or brain pathways) that contribute to an experience of a self.

One region is associated with a narrative about who we are, so thoughts about what is happening and how we are.  The other region is associated with a more direct experience of sensations and emotions in the present moment. The two areas are linked, so the present moment area is connected to the story-telling area. This is why it is perfectly natural to be thinking about what is happening all the time!

Research has suggested that through meditation practice where the aim is to pay attention to all available stimuli (ie. thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc, instead of just being carried away in thoughts), the link between these two brain areas is weakened. This means that every experience doesn’t necessarily have to be followed up by a barrage of thoughts about it. That sounds far more peaceful to me!

How fascinating that even the most built in brain patterns may have the capacity to be altered. An exciting prospect indeed!



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