Meditation effect in changing functional integrations across large-scale brain networks: Preliminary evidence from a meta-analysis of seed-based functional connectivity

Abstract

Meditation is a type of mental training commonly applied in clinical settings and also practiced for general well-being. Brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns associated with meditation have revealed its brain mechanisms. However, the variety of FC methods applied has made it difficult to identify brain communication patterns associated with meditation. Here we carried out a coordinate-based meta-analysis to get preliminary evidence of meditation effects on changing brain network interactions. Fourteen seed-based, voxel-wise FC studies reported in 13 publications were reviewed; 10 studies with seeds in the default mode network (DMN) were meta-analyzed. Seed coordinates and the effect sizes in statistically significant regions were extracted, based on 170 subjects in meditation groups and 163 subjects in control groups. Seed-based d-mapping was used to analyze meditation versus control FC differences with DMN seeds. Meditation was associated with increased connectivity within DMN and between DMN and somatomotor network and with decreased connectivity between DMN and frontoparietal network (FPN) as well as ventral attention network (VAN). The pattern of decreased within-DMN FC and increased between-network FC (FPN and DAN with DMN) was more robust in highly experienced meditators compared to less experienced individuals. The identified neural network interactions may also promote meditation’s effectiveness in clinical interventions for treating physical and mental disorders.

Self-Entropic Broadening Theory: Toward a New Understanding of Self and Behavior Change Informed by Psychedelics and Psychosis

“…It is unknown how long-term meditation practice might impact claustrum functioning in relation to the DMN/FPN compared with the general population. However, it has previously been shown that intensive mediation training can significantly alter DMN functional connectivity (Shen et al, 2020) and produces increases in between DMN and salience network functional connectivity (Vishnubhotla et al, 2021). Regions within the salience network in fMRI studies often include parts of the claustrum (Krimmel et al, 2019), as it is adjacent to the insula, which is a node of the salience network (Menon, 2011).…”

Posterior default mode network activity underlies distracted interoceptive attention and provides an objective basis for low mindfulness & depression

“…after training using fMRI 85,86,96 . Additionally, such training has been linked with changes in PCC-DLPFC connectivity [97][98][99] . In fact, many studies now show that inter-network connectivity between the FPN, CON and DMN are altered after meditative/ mindfulness training [100][101][102][103][104][105] .…”

May I come in? A probe into the contributions of self-esteem, teacher support, and critical thinking to anxiety and shyness in language classes

“…To restate, CT directs EFL students in their assessments of the value of the university and their sense of belonging there, as well as in their convictions regarding the efficacy of their language classes. Students are highly encouraged to actively participate in class debates and other speaking exercises, since they are an essential component of any language education [ 15 , 57 ].…”

“…CFA is a statistical method used to validate the component structure of a given collection of observed data. Additionally, CFA enables researchers to examine if there is a connection between observable variables and the latent constructs that underlie them [ 56 , 57 ].…”