Meditation-related activations are modulated by the practices needed to obtain it and by the expertise: an ALE meta-analysis study

Abstract

The brain network governing meditation has been studied using a variety of meditation practices and techniques practices eliciting different cognitive processes (e.g., silence, attention to own body, sense of joy, mantras, etc.). It is very possible that different practices of meditation are subserved by largely, if not entirely, disparate brain networks. This assumption was tested by conducting an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of meditation neuroimaging studies, which assessed 150 activation foci from 24 experiments. Different ALE meta-analyses were carried out. One involved the subsets of studies involving meditation induced through exercising focused attention (FA). The network included clusters bilaterally in the medial gyrus, the left superior parietal lobe, the left insula and the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG). A second analysis addressed the studies involving meditation states induced by chanting or by repetition of words or phrases, known as “mantra.” This type of practice elicited a cluster of activity in the right SMG, the SMA bilaterally and the left postcentral gyrus. Furthermore, the last analyses addressed the effect of meditation experience (i.e., short- vs. long-term meditators). We found that frontal activation was present for short-term, as compared with long-term experience meditators, confirming that experts are better enabled to sustain attentional focus, rather recruiting the right SMG and concentrating on aspects involving disembodiment.

Mantra Meditation Suppression of Default Mode Beyond an Active Task: a Pilot Study

“…In accordance with previous meta-analysis (Tomasino et al 2012;Fox et al 2016) on focused attentional practices, we show that mantra meditation as well reduces activity within the precuneus, PACC, and PCC of the DMN. Based on these similar neurocorrelates with other focused attention practices, we agree that mantra might be considered a form of attention practice as Dahl et al suggest (Dahl et al 2015).…”

“…Despite the logical categorization of mantra with other attention practices such as FA or OM which have been shown to reduce DMN activity, meta-analysis summarizing the neurocorrelates of mantra has not shown reduced activation of the DMN, which would help justify this grouping in terms of neuroimaging (Fox et al 2016;Tomasino et al 2012). Potential explanations for this difference regarding DMN suppression might be that these early mantra studies, investigated mostly experienced meditators, reported only activations, and all used language tasks as control conditions (Lazar et al 2000;Engström et al 2010;Davanger et al 2010).…”

“…In contrast, meditative deactivation of the PCC is associated with enhanced present-centered awareness, reduced mind wandering, Beffortless-doing,^and improvements in attention and working memory (Brewer et al 2011;Garrison et al 2013Garrison et al , 2015Pagnoni and Cekic 2007). PCC deactivation is commonly reported in association with meditative practice in FA and OM studies but less so for mantra meditation (Fox et al 2016, Tomasino et al 2012. Here, we show that Kundalini mantra practice in novices does indeed reduce PCC activity in a training-dependent manner, similar to other forms of focused attention meditation, but that these results are likely dependent upon the choice of control task.…”

“…A combination of these and other methods are often practiced in a single sitting. Meta-analysis of the neurocorrelates of meditation have shown that across these diverse practices and varied years of experience, the most common effect appears to be modulation of a network of brain regions called the default mode network (DMN) (Tomasino et al, 2012(Tomasino et al, , 2014Fox et al 2014;Simon and Engström 2015;Josipovic 2014;Josipovic et al 2012). The DMN is a constellation of brain regions silently active when we are passive, which has provided a new view into the elusive nature of meditative practice.…”

How Different Types of Meditation Can Enhance Athletic Performance Depending on the Specific Sport Skills

“…In line with the idea that different kinds of meditation affect human cognition in different ways, a recent meta-analysis concluded that different practices of meditation are indeed subserved by largely, if not entirely, disparate brain networks (Tomasino et al 2013).…”