Greater widespread functional connectivity of the caudate in older adults who practice kripalu yoga and vipassana meditation than in controls

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in understanding how contemplative practices affect brain functional organization. However, most studies have restricted their exploration to predefined networks. Furthermore, scientific comparisons of different contemplative traditions are largely lacking. Here we explored differences in whole brain resting state functional connectivity between experienced yoga practitioners, experienced meditators, and matched controls. Analyses were repeated in an independent sample of experienced meditators and matched controls. Analyses utilizing Network-Based Statistics (Zalesky et al., 2010) revealed difference components for yoga practitioners > controls and meditators > controls in which the right caudate was a central node. Follow up analyses revealed that yoga practitioners and meditators had significantly greater degree centrality in the caudate than controls. This greater degree centrality was not driven by single connections but by greater connectivity between the caudate and numerous brain regions. Findings of greater caudate connectivity in meditators than in controls was replicated in an independent dataset. These findings suggest that yoga and meditation practitioners have stronger functional connectivity within basal ganglia cortico-thalamic feedback loops than non-practitioners. Although we could not provide evidence for its mechanistic role, this greater connectivity might be related to the often reported effects of meditation and yoga on behavioral flexibility, mental health, and well-being.

Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community‐living elders with mild cognitive impairment

“…Denser cerebral gray matter, which contains neuronal cell bodies that are essential for information processing, could contribute towards a more efficient communication network. Gard and colleagues more recently reported widespread improvement in static FC among older adults who practiced mindfulness related meditation . In this study, we found that even dynamic FC improved with mindfulness practice, furthermore, it improved in community elders with cognitive impairment.…”

“…Gard and colleagues more recently reported widespread improvement in static FC among older adults who practiced mindfulness related meditation. 34 In this study, we found that even dynamic FC improved with mindfulness practice, furthermore, it improved in community elders with cognitive impairment. By interrogating the regional characteristics, we found altered temporal nodal efficiency in brain regions like the insula, anterior cingulate gyrus and superior temporal gyrus.…”

Disentangling functional connectivity effects of age and expertise in long-term meditators

“…The prediction of expertise during OM meditation indicated the right caudate (RCau), as the most implicated node (Figure 3b). This evidence is in line with the study of Gard (Gard et al, 2015) showing greater widespread functional connectivity of the right caudate with several brain regions as in expert meditators as compared to non-expert meditators. Our finding further highlights the specific involvement of RCau in the OM facet of meditation, which is characterized by a wider conscious access to the fields of experience.…”

Yoga research review

“…Positive affect has increased even after one session of Hatha yoga as compared to a lecture control class. These changes in well-being may relate to greater connectivity between the caudate and other regions of the brain (basal ganglia corticalethalamic feedback loops) as has been noted in a study on Kripalu yoga practitioners [36].…”