Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states
Interest has been growing in the use of mindfulness meditation (MM) as a therapeutic practice, as accumulating evidence highlights its potential to effectively address a range of mental conditions. While many fMRI studies focused on neural activation and functional connectivity during meditation, th...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1482353/full |
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| author | Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Aviva Berkovich-Ohana Aviva Berkovich-Ohana |
| author_facet | Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Aviva Berkovich-Ohana Aviva Berkovich-Ohana |
| author_sort | Daniel Yochai Panitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Interest has been growing in the use of mindfulness meditation (MM) as a therapeutic practice, as accumulating evidence highlights its potential to effectively address a range of mental conditions. While many fMRI studies focused on neural activation and functional connectivity during meditation, the impact of long-term MM practice on spontaneous brain activity, and on the expression of resting state networks over time, remains unclear. Here, intrinsic functional network dynamics were compared between experienced meditators and meditation-naïve participants during rest. Our analysis revealed that meditators tend to spend more time in two brain states that involve synchrony among cortical regions associated with sensory perception. Conversely, a brain state involving frontal areas associated with higher cognitive functions was detected less frequently in experienced meditators. These findings suggest that, by shifting attention toward enhanced sensory and embodied processing, MM effectively modulates the expression of functional network states at rest. These results support the suggested lasting effect of long-term MM on the modulation of resting-state networks, reinforcing its therapeutic potential for disorders characterized by imbalanced network dynamics. Moreover, this study reinforces the utility of analytic approaches from dynamical systems theory to extend current knowledge regarding brain activity and evaluate its response to interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bd8c6bd0fb244d7b9a5b8dada7a4bd18 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-bd8c6bd0fb244d7b9a5b8dada7a4bd182025-01-06T06:59:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612025-01-011810.3389/fnhum.2024.14823531482353Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain statesDaniel Yochai Panitz0Daniel Yochai Panitz1Daniel Yochai Panitz2Avi Mendelsohn3Avi Mendelsohn4Avi Mendelsohn5Joana Cabral6Joana Cabral7Joana Cabral8Aviva Berkovich-Ohana9Aviva Berkovich-Ohana10Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelThe Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making (IIPDM), University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelIntegrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelSagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelThe Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making (IIPDM), University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelIntegrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, PortugalCentre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomICVS/3B’s - Portuguese Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, PortugalSchool of Therapy, Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelEdmond Safra Brain Research Center, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelInterest has been growing in the use of mindfulness meditation (MM) as a therapeutic practice, as accumulating evidence highlights its potential to effectively address a range of mental conditions. While many fMRI studies focused on neural activation and functional connectivity during meditation, the impact of long-term MM practice on spontaneous brain activity, and on the expression of resting state networks over time, remains unclear. Here, intrinsic functional network dynamics were compared between experienced meditators and meditation-naïve participants during rest. Our analysis revealed that meditators tend to spend more time in two brain states that involve synchrony among cortical regions associated with sensory perception. Conversely, a brain state involving frontal areas associated with higher cognitive functions was detected less frequently in experienced meditators. These findings suggest that, by shifting attention toward enhanced sensory and embodied processing, MM effectively modulates the expression of functional network states at rest. These results support the suggested lasting effect of long-term MM on the modulation of resting-state networks, reinforcing its therapeutic potential for disorders characterized by imbalanced network dynamics. Moreover, this study reinforces the utility of analytic approaches from dynamical systems theory to extend current knowledge regarding brain activity and evaluate its response to interventions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1482353/fulldynamic functional connectivityfunctional MRImindfulness meditationbrain statesresting state networksLEiDA |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Daniel Yochai Panitz Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Avi Mendelsohn Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Joana Cabral Aviva Berkovich-Ohana Aviva Berkovich-Ohana Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states Frontiers in Human Neuroscience dynamic functional connectivity functional MRI mindfulness meditation brain states resting state networks LEiDA |
| title | Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| title_full | Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| title_fullStr | Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| title_short | Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| title_sort | long term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states |
| topic | dynamic functional connectivity functional MRI mindfulness meditation brain states resting state networks LEiDA |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1482353/full |
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