|
September 5, 2010 | Meditation makes structural changes in brain and boosts functional efficiency |
Washington: Just 11 hours of learning a meditation technique provokes positive structural changes in brain connectivity by boosting efficiency in a part that helps a person regulate behaviour in accordance with the goals, according to a study. The technique, called integrative body-mind training (IBMT), has been the focus of intense scrutiny by a team of Chinese researchers led by Yi-Yuan Tang of Dalian University of Technology in collaboration with University of Oregon psychologist Michael I. Posner. IBMT was adapted from traditional Chinese
medicine in the 1990s in China, where it is practiced by thousands of people.
It is now being taught to undergraduates involved in research on the method at
the University of Oregon . The new research involved 45 UO students (28 males
and 17 females); 22 subjects received IBMT while 23 participants were in a control
group that received the same amount of relaxation training. The experiments involved
the use of brain-imaging equipment in the UO's Robert and Beverly Lewis Center
for Neuroimaging. A type of magnetic resonance called diffusion tensor imaging
allowed researchers to examine fibers connecting brain regions before and after
training. The changes were strongest in connections involving the anterior cingulate,
a brain area related to the ability to regulate emotions and behaviour. The changes
were observed only in those who practiced meditation and not in the control group.
The changes in connectivity began after six hours of training and became clear
by 11 hours of practice. The researchers said it is possible the changes resulted
from a reorganization of white-matter tracts or by an increase of myelin that
surrounds the connections. "The importance of our findings relates to the ability
to make structural changes in a brain network related to self regulation. The
pathway that has the largest change due to IBMT is one that previously was shown
to relate to individual differences in the person's ability to regulate conflict,"
said Posner. The researchers currently are extending their evaluation to determine
if longer exposure to IBMT will produce positive changes in the size of the anterior
cingulate. "We believe this new finding is of interest to the fields of education,
health and neuroscience, as well as for the general public," said Tang. In their
conclusion, the researchers wrote that the new findings suggest a use of IBMT
as a vehicle for understanding how training influences brain plasticity. The study
has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
|
|
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|